


This Great Distance

by chilly_flame



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-28
Updated: 2012-05-28
Packaged: 2017-11-28 00:06:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/668021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chilly_flame/pseuds/chilly_flame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town. Set during season one, before the curse has broken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to [](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile)[**damelola**](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

\---

Emma spends the evening at the bar, having a beer with Ruby. Mary-Margaret joins them after a while, and neither of them asks why she’s late. Emma figures they both know Mary-Margaret and David are spending time together, even though he’s still married. Meanwhile, Regina is having dinner with Kathryn. Emma knows this is unusual for Regina, who is used to ruling the citizens of Storybrooke, not hanging out with them. The Mayor is finally starting to reach out more, not necessarily to Emma, but it’s helping Regina seem more human than she used to. Emma has to admit that it’s nice to feel like Regina doesn’t want to claw her eyes out all the time. Their encounters are still vigorous, and more often than not, rougher than Emma would admit to anyone. Not that she’d admit to anyone even that she and Regina are even having sex. But the other stuff that’s involved--the spanking and the dildos and everything else that Regina adores--no information about that will be shared with anyone. Ever.

She shifts in her seat, mouth twisting in memory. Her ass still burns when she thinks about it.

“Whoa, girl, what’s going on in that brain of yours?” Ruby asks, grinning.

“Huh?”

“Your face is bright red!” Ruby replies, laughing. Mary-Margaret’s eyes go wide, and she stares too.

“Nothing’s going on!” Emma declares, and gets up from her seat. “Who wants a shot?”

\---

Regina works at keeping her attention on Kathryn tonight. She is making a conscious effort to be a friend, which is something she has little experience at. But Kathryn is kind and soft spoken, and she always acquiesces to whatever Regina wants. Regina decides what they will have for dinner; Regina steers the conversation; Regina draws Kathryn into telling her about David’s departure, since she doesn’t want to ‘bother’ Regina with the details.

In other words, Kathryn is the exact opposite of Emma Swan.

While Regina enjoys her time with Kathryn, feeling some sense of closeness, she glances furtively at her watch when she can. She thinks she might have company tonight, assuming Emma doesn’t get drunk and fall off the roof on her way in. She could probably give the Sheriff a key to the back door, but that would make it too easy.

No. She wants Emma to work for it. And that means climbing up to her, just like…

Graham.

She shakes her head, and puts thoughts of him aside. She doesn’t want to think about Graham. Not tonight. She’ll have to at some point, but not for a while. Not yet.

“Are you and the Sheriff getting along?” Kathryn asks, out of the blue.

Regina licks her lips and wills her skin not to heat up at the mere mention of Emma’s title. “Why do you ask?” she replies smoothly.

Kathryn nods her head in the direction of the other room, where Henry is supposedly working on homework, although he’s probably reading or playing a game. “I know she’s caused trouble for the two of you in the past. Is it getting worse or better?”

Regina considers her answer. “It’s fine,” she says, with a shrug. “Once she and Henry set up regular time to spend together, it got easier. If I keep him from her, he just gets angry.” Henry is still angry all the time, but there’s nothing she can do about that. He’ll continue to complain about her being the Evil Queen, and Regina will continue to deny it over and over. “And I suppose the Sheriff isn’t the worst person on earth. Although she is close,” Regina adds. She doesn’t want to seem too soft toward her nemesis.

“That’s nice. I like her, even though you two don’t get along. She really seems like she made a good life for herself even though I’ve heard she had a rough childhood.”

“Mm,” Regina hums, noncommittally. She knows little about Emma’s childhood. They don’t spend a lot of time engaging in pillow talk. Before, she never minded when Graham slept over; it was even nice to feel him there, lying near her but not close enough to touch. But each night Emma departs the same way she came in, through the window. They don’t sleep in proximity to one another.

Regina wonders if that would be so bad. It’s just sex, anyway. Maybe they could have more sex if Emma stayed over longer. Not all night, of course, but a few hours—

“Regina?” Kathryn says, waving a hand in front of her face. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. You were saying?”

“Boy, you are out of it. Are you sure everything’s all right?”

“Of course,” Regina replies. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

\---

As she climbs up the lattice to the garage roof, Emma holds her breath. She is more careful than usual, considering that last shot. She doesn’t want to miss out on getting laid because of a lemon drop.

She creeps up the roof and slips her fingers under the window sill, conveniently left open an inch. In the past, Regina has been very clear that if the window is locked, Emma is not to try and get in. So far, it’s never been locked. Emma tries not to be smug about this.

She slips inside, but the bed is empty and the room is dark. There’s a light coming from under the bathroom door. Emma hears the shower, and leaves her jacket on the floor, followed by her shoes, jeans, tank, and socks. Since it’s after midnight, Henry’s asleep, and as she walks by the main door to Regina’s room, she locks it. No need to risk interruption by a kid asking for a glass of water.

The bathroom is dimly lit, and Emma can’t help it—her mouth waters a little when she sees the silhouette of Regina’s bare body behind the glass. She knows she’ll startle her if she says anything, so she just leans against the doorframe and watches for a minute or two. Sighing, she rubs her thighs together, feeling damp between her legs and sweaty from dancing at the bar. She really could use a shower, mainly so Regina won’t complain about the fact that she smells like beer.

Emma is enjoying her momentary voyeurism, until she realizes that Regina has a hand on her own breast, while the other arm is extended against the wall. There’s a hum, and her head falls back in pleasure.

“Nuh uh,” Emma says, “not without me.” Grabbing the shower door, Emma’s still in her underwear when Regina glances over her shoulder.

“Took you long enough,” Regina drawls, water sluicing down her skin.

 “Oh, you bitch,” Emma snarls, yanking down her panties and tearing off her bra. She’s on Regina in a heartbeat, hand between her legs. “It is uncool for you to start without me.”

Regina sighs into their kiss, arms winding around Emma’s shoulders. “Not my fault you’re late.”

“It’s barely twelve.” Emma presses with her fingers, pulsing in circles just enough to keep Regina’s knees weak.

“I have a town to run. I need my sleep.” She moans briefly before clamping her mouth shut. Wouldn’t be a good thing to wake Henry. “Harder,” she whispers.

Emma dips lower, sliding two fingers inside before kissing Regina in earnest. Their kiss is so sweet that for a second Emma forgets that she’s supposed to hate Regina. All she wants is to do this every night before she goes to sleep.

It’s probably the beer talking, combined with the heat and slickness of Regina’s skin making her brain short out. She doesn’t say more, thrusting her fingers and rubbing their breasts together when she can. “So hot,” slips out, like it tends to, because Emma is a talker during sex. Regina says very little unless she’s giving direction, but Emma can’t seem to just fuck and not talk. “I want you to come. Hard.”

Regina’s nails dig into Emma’s shoulders as they grind together, the heat of the steam and their bodies overwhelming. Regina leans back against the tile, keeping Emma with her, until she curls forward with a gasp and convulses around her fingers. Emma grits her teeth, parting her legs and moving against Regina’s hip, dark and smooth compared to her own, with its faded stretch marks that grow an angry pink in the hot water.

Regina’s teeth tug Emma’s ear before she pushes her own hand between them, knocking Emma’s away. She finds her clit briefly before moving lower, going in with three fingers, enough for Emma to feel the burn in the best way. “Stay there,” Emma says, sinking down, keeping it shallow where she likes it. She lurches forward, biting Regina’s shoulder, raking her teeth and moving her hips till she can’t take it anymore. She reaches down herself to get off, but Regina will have none of that, using her other hand to block her fingers.

“Beg,” Regina says, her eyes meeting Emma’s. They’re so dark they’re almost black. “Beg me.”

“Fuck you,” Emma replies, because she won’t agree to anything Regina demands the first time. She can hold out a little longer.

Regina goes still, but Emma grabs her and tries thrusting on her own. It is an unsuccessful maneuver, and she bites her lip.

“Beg me,” Regina repeats.

Emma tries again to reach herself, but Regina grabs at her wrist, until they’re practically wrestling. Emma keeps at it, but she can’t get what she needs, so finally she caves. “Do it,” Emma pleads. “Do it.”

“Not good enough, Swan,” Regina replies.

“Please,” Emma chokes, putting both hands against the tile, relinquishing all control. “Please, make me come.”

That’s apparently good enough, so she does just as Emma asked—she makes her come very, very hard. At some point Emma sways but Regina catches her in a kiss. Keeping one hand between Emma’s thighs, she draws out the orgasm, until Emma sags against her shoulder.

Eyes closed, the high courses through her, head swimming. She’s a lot drunker than she thought, because she feels like crawling into bed with Regina, who licks her fingers while watching her with heavy-lidded eyes. Before long, Regina pushes Emma away and rinses off, and Emma follows suit. They don’t talk, and when they exit the shower, Regina hands over a towel. Standing together in the bathroom, there’s an odd intimacy in the air. It’s awkward for Emma, who tries not to watch as Regina’s skin vanishes under a set of silky pajamas. She pockets her own underwear, but yanks the rest of her clothing on, even though it still smells like the bar. After a quick towel dry of her hair, she pulls it into a ponytail and follows Regina into the bedroom.

Briefly she sits on the bed and drags on her boots. “So Henry’s going to be staying late after school with his class on Wednesday, right?” Emma asks, not looking up.

“Yes. Why?”

“You busy?”

There’s a pause as Regina runs a comb through her hair. She makes Emma wait quite a bit longer than comfortable. “I can make myself available.”

“Good. How’s four?” She’ll have to find someone to cover for her, but sometimes it’s good to be the boss.

“A little early, but--” Regina swallows, and Emma can see the wheels turning. “What do you have in mind?”

“Something we need privacy for. We’ll have to put the chain on the door, just in case, but I’ll make Mary Margaret swear to call me if there’s any reason Henry might show up.” She’s not sure if Regina will go for it, but it can’t hurt to try. She owes Emma, anyway.

“That’s not very specific.”

Emma pulls on her leather jacket. She wants a kiss good night, but holds back, because they don’t do that. As she raises the window to climb out, she says, “I’m going to blindfold you, tie you up and fuck you till you scream.”

Just saying the words makes Emma throb. Regina’s mouth goes slack, which is just the reaction she wanted. She doesn’t look disgusted or angry, so Emma takes that as a yes.

“See you on Wednesday.” She slips out the window, leaving it open. Regina might need some crisp night air to cool off. Emma certainly does.

\---  



	2. Chapter 2

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

Part II

Regina has her eyes closed. She’s been waiting for this since the moment Emma suggested it. Initially the idea of it made her ill at ease, but Regina has never been one to back down from a challenge. Considering her position, she hopes the problems she’s been having now and then don’t surface tonight.

For some reason, Regina’s recent “extracurricular activities” with Emma are bringing up all sorts of unpleasant memories for her. Not _during_ , of course; she is far too good at living in the moment to be distracted from the sensations Emma draws from her body. But _after_ , these thoughts sail into her head like a cool breeze from an open window. Her past, decades of it spent both in Storybrooke and elsewhere, narrows down to moments both beautiful and terrible.

In the worst moments, she is barraged with memories of losing her virginity. Not to Daniel, as she had longed for so desperately, but to her husband, who never once looked at her with open eyes on their first night together. Or any night after, for that matter. He hurt her every time, because nothing she imagined could ease her pain at his invasion.

Sometimes she’d wondered if her mother had secretly cursed her, denying her any relief during their coupling, but in Leopold’s absence, Regina had no trouble taking care of her own desires. Alone in their marriage bed, she would think of Daniel’s heat, and sweetness, and how she had pleaded with him to take her—who would know? But he had resisted, gallant until the end, pleasuring her only in ways that would preserve her womanhood. On those nights, she had cried herself to sleep.

She would not let go of Daniel’s memory. Could not. But in past weeks, memories even more painful than those of Leopold began to surface. Because after she and Emma _finished_ whatever it was they were doing, there would be something in Emma that reminded Regina of Daniel. The way Emma touched her face, kissed the tips of her fingers, smelled her hair… All of it made Regina freeze up. It was not quite panic, but it was close.

Because while Regina’s heart still beats in another world, even at this great distance she can feel it swelling and glowing in its tiny box. With happiness, or sadness, or loneliness; every throb reveals her story, without her permission, to the one who’d stolen it. For many years, Regina believed that the absence of her heart would keep her mind clear and empty. She has unhappily discovered this not to be the case.

She has feelings. They’re muted, but present. And her mother, Queen of Hearts, _Thief_ of Hearts, knows every one of them.

Regina just hopes Cora has better things to do than track her emotional state through sorcery. It’s been more than a decade, before Henry’s birth, since her last “visit” to Storybrooke. Regina wants to keep it that way.

When she and Emma had started up, it had been easy. A quick fuck in that stupid car had been risky, but after the fight they’d had in the bar, it had just happened. It seemed that all their rage at one another could be drained by a couple of mutual orgasms. That had been more productive and required less recovery time than physically assaulting one another.

But one night, _after_ , Emma had touched her throat, and looked down at her with something like affection. It had been so unexpected that Regina barely knew how to respond. Then it happened again, and again. That look, wide-eyed and soft, was an oasis in Regina ’s desert life. And it was starting to frighten her, because sometimes, Regina can see that look on her own face in the mirror, _after_.

So considering Regina’s quandary of trying not to feel, not to care, she isn’t sure why she’s allowing Emma to do this. Maybe it’s payback, since Regina spanked Emma into submission a week ago. That had been a new addition to their admittedly brief sexual lexicon. It hadn’t been unwelcome on Emma’s part, even though she laughed a little here and there, breaking character. Emma doesn’t take sex very seriously, unlike Regina, who has a history of using sex as a weapon, and who knows what kind of damage it can do. She has experience on both sides of the coin in that respect, thinking of Leopold, and of Graham.

Graham, whom she had abused and then killed. She has many regrets in her life, and of all of them, Graham is a significant one. His heart had been so soft, so easy to crush. Like Daniel’s had surely been in her mother’s hand. She has repeated her own mistakes, and would suffer for them, surely.

But tonight, she will not think of Graham, or Daniel.  Tonight, Regina holds her arms above her head in the guest bedroom and leans back against the wall. When she crosses her wrists, she imagines she can hear Emma’s smirk. Emma uses one of Regina’s thigh-highs to hook her tightly to the metal wall hanging, an elaborate wrought-iron thing of leaves, vines and the like. It’s a pretty piece of art, but it doubles well as a place to tie, or be tied. Regina thought of this when she first bought the piece, but she’s never used it for this purpose until tonight. Another of her stockings is wrapped around her eyes, and when she finally opens them, she can’t see a thing. She’d expected to have some level of visibility, since this spare bedroom streams with afternoon sun. She feels Emma’s hair tickling her breasts as she leans forward, and the heat between them flares and sends a blush up her chest.

“How’s that?” Emma murmurs, and Regina nods in response. It’s comfortable, mostly, and she pulls to test the restraint. The hanging is bolted to the wall, so her arms only move slightly from left to right. She prays that Henry doesn’t call from school, because there’s no way she could get to a phone in this state.

“You remember the safe word?” Emma asks, as always the considerate one.

Regina bobs her head. The word flashes through her mind. _Meringue_. “I know it.”

“So let’s get started,” Emma says, and Regina recognizes the smile in her voice. Two hands travel from Regina’s hips, up her back, along her ribs and under her breasts. Emma avoids any particularly sensitive parts, instead simply tracing a light touch along her bones and skin. Regina breathes through her nose, sounding like an animal to her own ears, until she yelps when Emma’s tongue flicks against her breast. The hairs on her body are all standing at attention, as are her nipples. The room is cool, almost cold, but Regina prefers it that way—she’d hoped the discomfort would keep her from completely falling under Emma’s spell.

It’s not really working.

Every cell in her body is attuned to Emma’s touch, to the sound of her breath. She traces Regina’s ankle, lifted by the patent leather heel, and Regina feels the caress echoed between her legs. Emma follows the line of her calf to the back of her knee, stroking that same path again and again. Regina’s head tips back, and she swallows the moan in her throat. A tongue flicks behind her knee, and Regina’s legs dip, caught by the stocking holding her up. Emma chuckles, and then blows softly against the apex of Regina’s thighs.

Regina jerks against her bindings, gritting her teeth.

Emma goes on, stroking her other leg, so gently, until Regina feels as though she will go mad. A kiss lands on her hip, and for the first time, Regina wants desperately to have her arms free. She is almost at the edge already, and wants to come.

But the touches stop, and nothing else happens. Emma seems to vanish, silent and stealthy. Regina frowns, confused. Never before has she been abandoned by a lover during sex. It goes on for a long time, or so it feels to Regina; blindfolded and trapped, she has no concept of the minutes as they pass. After an endless period of time, she pictures herself, standing naked in her home, vulnerable and powerless. She is pathetic. She is foolish. She is weak.

Against her will, her mother’s face surfaces in her imagination. For all Regina’s outward confidence, her mother is always a breath away. In her mind’s eye, Cora strings her up with rough rope from the stable, holding her aloft in her childhood bedroom. Cora laughs as Regina begs for freedom, pleading that she’ll try to be good, try to be better. Without mercy, Cora leaves Regina trapped for a full day and night before releasing her, with sodden jodhpurs from when she wet herself and an empty belly she’s restricted from filling until the next morning. Cora wants to teach Regina a lesson. Regina learns nothing, other than that when you’re tied up, you’re powerless.

This is why Regina has never allowed herself to be bound by anyone before. Emma is the exception. Regina did not expect to remember wetting herself as an eleven-year-old girl in the process, or get lost in a memory of her mother’s unending torment. She’d been bound many times as a child, and again as a young woman; only after her marriage to Leopold had she been able to avoid it. But she had no doubt that given the opportunity, Cora would have done it again, just to prove her strength.

Regina jerks against the stocking around her wrists. The material chafes her skin. She pulls, and pulls again. Her breathing is labored, and she makes a noise that sounds desperate to her own ears. “Emma,” she says, and it’s a whisper. “Emma,” she calls again. “Emma!”

There is no response.

Regina is alone. In an instant, she panics.

She becomes an animal, shaking and twisting, trying to free herself, but she has no luck. “Emma! Emma!” She knows there’s some word, something she’s supposed to be able to say that will help her, but it’s not there. “Emma!”

After shaking her head hard enough to make her see stars, it comes to her. “Meringue! Meringue!” she shouts, and it’s almost a scream.

“Oh my god!” she hears from downstairs, and the simple sound of Emma’s voice is enough to keep Regina from having a full blown meltdown. Sweat drips from under her arms, and she wishes she could have kept this from happening. But it’s Emma’s fault. “Let me out, let me go--”

She hears the pounding of feet on the steps, followed by a series of thumps nearby. When Emma’s hands rip the blindfold down, she looks as frightened as Regina feels. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you’d freak. I was, um, getting some things.”

As Emma kneels on a tall stool to free her wrists, Regina notices the items scattered across the floor; there’s a can of whipped cream (where did that come from?), a honey bear, a package of strawberries, two honeycrisps, a cantaloupe, and oddly, a container of ricotta cheese.

When she’s free, Regina’s knees give out, and Emma helps her to the floor. She removes her leather jacket and puts it around Regina’s shoulders, keeping her in the circle of her arms. “I’m really sorry.”

Trying to figure out the food is less frightening than confronting her own demons, so Regina asks, “What the hell is all that?” Her voice is rough.

Emma shuts her eyes for a second. “Food. Sex food, you know? I had some ideas. I guess that’s not going to work out.”

Regina frowns. “Ricotta cheese?”

Emma glances over, and laughs helplessly. “I had it in my hand since it was in the way of a bottle of wine in the fridge. I heard you shout, so I came running.”

Regina is still shivering. She is embarrassed and unsettled, but Emma’s mouth is touching her temple with so much softness that it feels beautiful. They sit quietly together as Regina finally begins to relax. She wonders what her heart in its little box looks like at this moment—perhaps as if it’s about to explode.

“I guess this was a bad idea,” Emma says quietly. “I didn’t know.”

Before she can censor herself, Regina mutters, “I didn’t either.”

Emma inhales, leaning back incrementally. She doesn’t speak, and Regina tries not to let the silence add to her discomfort. “Who hurt you, Regina?”

For the first time in decades, Regina wants to confess. All of it, from the day she was born, to the night Daniel died, to Leopold, to her father, to Graham, to now. Instead, she clenches her jaw, keeping all the words in. Emma will leave if she tells, taking Henry with her, and this will all be over.

“I can’t,” Regina finally manages. “I can’t talk about it.”

Emma, for all her brash impatience, does not push. Regina has come to recognize a similar pain in Emma’s eyes, yet Regina has never forced Emma to tell of her tragic childhood and abandonment either.

When Regina sags against Emma, the tension between them breaks. It feels good to be held, and Emma smells so delicious that Regina nuzzles in and tastes her throat. It’s salty, reminding her of what they were doing before their incident. She opens her mouth and bites, very gently, and Emma purrs. “What are you up to?” Emma groans.

After swallowing back any lingering fear, Regina says, “I want to try again.”

Shaking her head, Emma replies, “No way.”

“Yes, way,” Regina replies, and Emma laughs. “I want to.” Looking down at her, Emma’s eyes are wide and tender, and Regina nods. “I want to.” They kiss once, twice before she whispers, “Make me forget.”

That’s all the urging Emma needs. Their next kiss is firm, and Emma’s tongue sweeps into her mouth. “Lemme just, um, put all that stuff back. We’ll save the food for another time.” She glances down at Regina once more. “I’ll be back in like, one minute. Okay?”

Regina nods, and smiles. Her belly is filled with anticipation. As Emma gathers the scattered foods from the floor, Regina pulls the stocking from around her neck; she’ll skip that part. But her wrists…

When Emma returns, Regina’s already standing where she had been before, arms held high. The stocking hangs over her shoulder, waiting for Emma, and the leather jacket is discarded on the floor. “Okay.”

Emma takes a huge breath, eyes drawn to Regina’s breasts. Her breath is already coming faster, and Regina feels a curious power surge through her. “Go ahead, Swan. I’m ready.”

Emma meets her eyes, and the challenge is accepted. She ties Regina in the same way—not too tightly, but with very little give. As Regina watches Emma’s face, her strength, her sense of _control_ seems to multiply. Emma has always enjoyed her body, but it feels like more tonight--like fascination, adoration. Like worship. Emma groans again, and wetness is already gathering between Regina’s legs.

“Don’t you want me, Sheriff Swan?” Regina drawls, noting her lover’s enormous pupils.

“Fuck this,” Emma says, and drops to her knees. “I’m not waiting.” Then her mouth is there, kissing her clit, licking everything she can get her mouth on, and Regina is grateful to be tied. It’s amazing, and her eyes roll back as Emma hoists one thigh onto her shoulder. “Have to,” she murmurs, and her tongue slides inside.

Regina hums, and opens her eyes so she can watch Emma, who is enraptured by her cunt. “Love fucking you,” Emma says, her hands on Regina’s ass, squeezing and digging her nails in.

Pulling on her restraints, Regina arches forward, because that makes it better. She grits her teeth to keep from screaming. The pleasure is as big as the room, bigger, especially when Emma flicks with her tongue, puts her thumbs together and pushes inside.

“Oh, god,” Regina cries, so close, rubbing her heel against Emma’s back, rocking in an endless rhythm. “Yes,” she chants, “yes, yes,” and there’s a groan of metal, and she comes in one huge pulse. The world spins, and somehow Emma catches her as she nearly kills them both, falling to the floor only halfway through her orgasm. Emma helps her onto her back and spreads her legs again, intent on finishing her off, and even though Regina is over-sensitive, Emma presses her tongue hard on her clit, and it’s so good that Regina grabs Emma’s hair with her bound hands and wails as the second peak smashes into her like a tidal wave.

Regina pushes up against Emma’s face, staring at the blond silk spilling over her skin. Her body sings, tingles, shakes apart as Emma laps her up, and when it’s over, Regina collapses. Before she can say a word, Emma is up on her knees, tearing down her jeans and underwear. Her hand goes straight for her clit and she rubs like a maniac, crying out. She leans over Regina one on arm, staring into her face with her mouth hanging open. “You taste so good,” Emma says, and Regina realizes she has to kiss her, right away, so she grabs Emma’s chin and leans up. When they connect it’s barely a kiss; Emma is biting Regina’s lips as she moans and rubs until she jerks forward in an arch. The sound of her cries echoes in the room, and Regina closes her eyes, reveling in it.

Emma’s breathing is harsh, and it’s all Regina can hear for the longest time. She feels like she’s been run over by a truck, and Emma falls on top of her, body still quaking with aftershocks.

A few quiet minutes later, Emma glances up at Regina in astonishment. “Holy fuck,” she sighs. “Did that just happen?”

“I think so,” Regina says. Emma’s weight feels nice on top of her, even with her arms trapped between their bodies.

“I think we need a new system if we ever do this again,” Emma says, not moving an inch. “That thing bent. Didn’t you say it was iron?”

Regina looks up, and when she can focus, she realizes some of the iron leaves that were supposed to hold her are now bent forward. “Huh,” she replies.

“I’ll get some pliers later and fix it,” Emma offers, lifting up enough to pull Regina’s arms out from underneath her. Instead of getting up, she loops Regina’s bound wrists around her neck, and lies back down, pillowing her head against one damp breast. “Once I can move.”

Regina threads her fingers through Emma’s hair, running her foot along one bare thigh. She doesn’t mind that the carpet under her ass is rough and damp with sweat and come. She doesn’t mind that Emma’s head is heavy against her breast. She doesn’t even mind that she can’t move her arms.

She is happier than she’s been in years.

\-------

Emma struts down Main with a bearclaw in one hand, coffee cup in another. It all tastes like heaven, and she grins, feeling studly and excellent. She had probably the best sex of all time last night. Hours of it. Her eyelids droop a bit when she thinks about Regina lying on the floor, naked except for the stocking hanging loose around her wrists. And then again later, drowsing in the bathtub, hair slicked back, makeup gone.

Briefly she flashes back to when she and Regina first met. If she had known then… she wouldn’t change a thing.

“What are you smiling at?” Leroy grunts as he walks by at the corner, frowning.

“Nothing,” Emma replies. “Hey, Leroy.”

“Yeah,” he says, and keeps on going.

Emma shrugs and takes a bite of the bearclaw. “Yum,” she mumbles, mouth full.

There’s a lot of paperwork to do about nothing in particular; some outstanding parking tickets, a noise complaint on 3rd street because of cats in heat; two drunk in publics from outside Granny’s last night at 2am after the bar closed. She sits and organizes files for a while, then gets lost in thought, because really, there isn’t that much happening. Mostly, she thinks about Regina, because what the hell else is she going to ponder at this time of day? Especially when Madam Mayor is probably sitting behind her desk, looking official and proper and fuckable in every way.

Emma glances around in case anyone might be watching her. No one is.

Later she gets lunch at Granny’s and chats with Ruby for a while. The waitress is learning the books with Granny, and as much as she complains about it, Emma senses that she takes pride in the progress she’s making. On the flip side, she laments the lack of fresh meat in the Storybrooke bar scene. Emma keeps her mouth shut on that note.

Back at the office, Emma spends the afternoon fielding calls from various citizens who want to discuss everything from the best time of day to run their sprinklers, to when the stop sign at the corner of Cherry and Jasmine will be cleaned, since someone tagged it with a lightning bolt. By five, Emma is so ready to get to the City Council meeting she can hardly stand it. Normally she is fully engaged in her work, but she forgives herself for drifting. It’s Regina’s fault anyway.

As she strolls to the town hall, she barely sees what’s in front of her, instead remembering the new, strange version of Regina she discovered last night, screaming to be freed from her bindings. Emma hasn’t dealt with a vulnerable Regina since Henry was trapped in the mine, but this was no comparison. Emma is convinced she’ll never forget the look on Regina’s face the moment she tore that blindfold away. There was so much there—fear, anxiety, relief, and something else… something dark. Emma can survive not knowing what put that chasm in Regina’s soul, but she hopes whoever contributed to it doesn’t live in this town so she doesn’t have to illegally kick some ass.

She ignores that thought for two reasons; one is that she doesn’t want to break any laws, and the other is that whatever her feelings are for Regina, they are way deeper than Emma ever intended them to be. So much for the hate sex they’d had for so many weeks. Emma’s irritated that instead of hate sex, now it seems like… well, not hateful. Not at all.

 _Enough_ , she thinks. _Just go in there and try not to look like you’re imagining_ _Regina_ _’s face while she eats you out_.

Which of course, does not work. As soon as she sits down, she squirms, because there’s Regina in a staid blue suit jacket and black button-up shirt, with one too many buttons undone. And all Emma can think about is the roughness of Regina’s tongue, and her sharp teeth as they rake along tender skin.

From the look on her face, Regina knows exactly what she’s thinking. Which means she’s thinking about it too.

Emma tears her gaze away, and lands on Kathryn, who waves hello from a few rows away. After a few shellshocked seconds, Emma recovers and waves back awkwardly. With a smile, Kathryn motions for her to move over, and Emma is happy for the distraction.

“How are you?” Kathryn asks as Emma sits.

“Pretty good. Slow day at the office,” Emma replies.

“That’s good, I suppose. Better than busy!”

They make small talk about Henry, and avoid discussing David. He’s still living with Kathryn, but Emma wonders exactly what Kathryn knows, and what David and Mary-Margaret are really up to. After a few minutes, Regina calls the meeting to order, and Emma sinks back in her chair. She licks her lips and considers Regina’s shoes, as well as her ankles under the table. With a little shiver, she schools her features and zones out.

There’s a lot of talking, about things like expanding the castle park that Regina had built in the woods, and disaster preparedness in the event of upcoming winter storms. Something is said about two sizable potholes on the bikepath near the water that need to be filled. Eventually, Emma gets the sense that people are getting restless, and Regina starts to wrap things up. Emma hopes she didn’t miss anything significant, but Regina will fill her in if need be. Maybe they can have a fight about it, since she’s sure Regina noticed that Emma paid absolutely no attention at all in this meeting. Other than to notice the way the light casts shadows against Regina’s olive skin, only partially covered by the black blouse that shifts suggestively with every move she makes.

Regina stands up and leans forward, hands on the table, and Emma watches hungrily. She’s really got to get a handle on this attraction thing. Briefly Regina glances at Emma, and their eyes lock. _The Mayor_ might be speaking, but Emma doesn’t hear anything over the buzz of excitement in her belly. A moment later, Regina’s gaze moves on, and Emma remembers the room is filled with other people who are (probably) not thinking about fucking the Mayor on her desk in approximately five minutes. But just as Emma is about to get up, she senses an almost electric snap in the air, and the color drains from Regina’s face. Emma feels the change as a physical punch—she exhales audibly when Regina’s expression morphs into the terrified shape she glimpsed last night. Right away the look evaporates into disinterest, and Emma turns around to see what could have possibly brought it to the surface in public.

A woman is standing in the back of the room. She appears to be in her early sixties but might be younger, with jet black hair and a red, red mouth. Her lips form a smile that holds no joy.

Emma recognizes that smile, and the emptiness behind it.

This woman is Regina’s mother. Without a single iota of evidence or information, Emma knows immediately that this is the person who hurt Regina. She is not the only person, most certainly, but she was perhaps the first.

Glancing back at Regina, she notes the tremble of elegant fingers. Out of nowhere, Emma wants to kick this woman’s ass from here to Connecticut. She snarls and stands, stalking toward the table in the front of the room. “See ya, Kathryn,” she throws over her shoulder. Regina has barely called the meeting to a close before Emma thrusts her face near hers. “Who the fuck is that?”

“Go home, Sheriff Swan.” This is _The Mayor_ speaking, not the Regina who opened up to her less than 24 hours ago.

“No,” Emma breathes. “You’re in trouble--”

“Regina, dear,” comes a voice behind Emma, and her spine stiffens like a board—there is something here, something terrible—

“Mother,” Regina says, “What are you doing here?”

A long pause stretches between the three of them. “Well it’s nice to see you too, dear. And it’s been just so long that I felt I simply must pay you a visit.”

Emma takes one look at Regina’s face and figures that it’s time for her to make herself scarce. She nods, once, and smiles without looking into the eyes of the woman who hovers just to her right. “Hi,” she says, keeping her focus off of the face that has freaked her shit out in a serious way. “Gotta take care of some official business, excuse me,” she murmurs, but the woman ignores her. Before she leaves the hall, Emma glances back and sees Regina’s mother move around the table so smoothly it’s like magic. She takes Regina into an embrace, and Regina doesn’t move. Not to put arms around her, not to smile, not to say a word.

Emma wants to kill her.

\---  
  


  



	3. This Great Distance

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

Part III

Regina does not throw up, or scream. She feels inordinately proud of this fact as her mother holds her in her arms.

Later, she can barely recall how she makes it from the town hall to Granny’s, where she is scheduled to meet Henry for dinner. She spots him in a booth, with Ruby seated across from him as they chat amiably. For a moment, Regina wants to shout for him to run, run until he can’t go any further, but she holds her tongue. When Henry glances up and sees Cora standing next to her, his face transforms into a blank expression that resembles Emma’s when she doesn’t know what to say. It startles Regina, who rarely sees flashes of her lover in the face of her son.

“This must be Henry,” Cora drawls as they approach. Regina’s skin crawls.

Henry doesn’t respond, and Ruby is staring at Cora with a frozen half smile.

“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself to your grandmother, dear?” Cora says. Regina peeks at her mother, hoping Henry doesn’t recognize the terror in her eyes.

But he does, Regina knows right away. He actually shrinks back into the booth before gathering his courage. “Hi,” he says when he finally moves forward, standing to shake her hand.

“Hello, dear _Henry_ ,” Cora says. “It’s so lovely to finally meet you. I am sorry that we haven’t met before, but my work does so consume my time. You understand, don’t you?”

Henry nods, and looks at Regina. For the first time in months, perhaps years, she feels as though they are on the same page. Which is to say, _scared shitless_. Without a word, Ruby slips out of the booth, scurrying away.

Cora takes Ruby’s place. “I’m going to be staying with you for a little while. Won’t that be fun? We’ll get to know each other, and I’ll find out exactly what my _dear daughter_ has been up to all this time.” Cora glances up at Regina, who for a crazy second expects her to hold out a hand and hoist her into the air. But she doesn’t. She can’t.

“Okay,” Henry says. His mouth twists in confusion. “What kind of work do you do?” Leave it to Henry to make polite conversation.

With a smile, Cora says, “I’m in charge of a city, like your mother. But my job is much larger and more important. I take care of many people and they come to me for their every need.”

“Where do you live?” asks Henry.

“Far, far away from here, dear. It’s unfortunate that you aren’t able to come to visit. Perhaps one day,” she says, her grin steady, her teeth white and even.

“Oh,” Henry says, and Regina sinks down into the booth next to her son. She has to think fast, needing some way to get him out of here, away, anywhere. She looks up at Ruby, who hesitantly returns to the booth.

“Here are a couple of menus,” she offers. “I’ll be right over there when you’re ready, ‘kay?”

Regina nods and looks at the laminated menu, unable to make out the words on the page. She swallows when she feels Henry press up against her side. She sees so many things etched on his face, but mostly, he is afraid. Regina gives him a tiny nod, grasping his hand. She’ll do anything for him. Everything. She will be the mother Cora never was, and never could be. This is all she needs to think about to regain her equilibrium. She is no child. And without magic, she and her mother are on even ground. Unless…

Regina refuses to think of that possibility.

“So Mother, it’s good to see you. How have you been?” She grips Henry’s fingers tightly, out of sight.

“I’ve been thinking a great deal about you, dear,” she replies. The sound of her voice makes Regina’s teeth hurt. “I’ve wanted to know how you’re faring in this little town of yours. It really has been too long since you’ve been to see me. And our last visit was so short. What a shame that was.”

“I know, Mother, but it couldn’t be helped. How wonderful you were able to find the time to come to Storybrooke.”

Cora reaches out, and Regina feels the pull of her mother’s power over her even now. She holds out her free hand for Cora to stroke with her cold fingers. “My dear, I love you. I’ve been quite concerned over you. Is everything all right?”

Regina schools her features. “Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Just a feeling I have that things are changing for you. That you need some help from your beloved mother to get you through a trying time. Am I correct?”

Regina gathers a smile and forces it onto her face. “Not at all, Mother. Everything is wonderful. Isn’t that right, Henry?”

She looks down at him, and he nods quickly before turning to Cora. “Yeah, everything is great.” She can’t tell him how proud she is at that moment—his powers of perception have always been troublesome, but in this case, they are miraculous.

The bell over Granny’s door rings, startling Regina. She lets out a little nervous laugh after she jumps, but the smile fades from her face when she realizes who has come in: it’s Emma. “Hey, Ruby,” Emma says, taking in the whole restaurant in a single glance. She does not pause as her eyes pass over Regina and Henry, appearing calm and nonchalant. Regina knows better.

Henry sits up straighter in his seat, which causes Cora to turn around. “That’s the woman from your council meeting, isn’t it?” Cora asks. “I see her adorable little badge. Is she some sort of town official?”

“She’s the sheriff,” Henry says firmly. “She’s also my birth mom.”

Cora’s eyebrow flies up, and her grin is almost lecherously pleased. “Your birth mother? Here in Storybrooke?” She claps her hands together. “Why how marvelous. I look forward to meeting her properly. Regina, how _could_ you neglect to mention that detail?”

Regina swallows. “I didn’t think it was important. I was surprised to see you, of course.”

“Of course,” Cora repeats. “Well, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to get to know her. Henry, what’s your birth mother like? And what’s her name?”

There’s a pause. “It’s Emma,” Henry finally says.

Cora’s eyes flash, as though she knows right away who Emma is, and who she was in their other world. “Emma,” she says slowly, watching the sheriff as she stands at the counter chatting with Granny. “Ah. What a pretty name.”

Shaking herself out of the stupor she’s in, Regina looks down at her watch. “Henry, we can’t stay long, so think about what you want to eat. You know you’re sleeping at Alex’s tonight. To study for that big test you have tomorrow, remember?”

Henry blinks twice before he smacks his forehead. “I forgot.”

“I know. We’ll go home and get your grandmother--” the word makes her want to cringe--”settled and you can pack a bag. I’ll drive you over.”

“Okay.” He looks down at the menu. “Can I get a cheeseburger and fries? I gotta go to the restroom so maybe you can order for me.”

“Sure, dear. Go right ahead.” Normally a cheeseburger is not one of the acceptable meals on the menu. Tonight, he can have anything he wants.

He climbs out of the booth and rushes past Emma, who watches him with a frown on her face.

“Kids,” Regina says lightly. “Ask him which level of Mario Kart he’s on, he can tell you in a second. But anything related to school, poof. Gone.”

“I can only imagine,” Cora says, her smile vanishing. “He’s remarkably well adjusted, considering.”

Regina’s hackles rise on command. “Considering what?”

Cora chuckles. “Considering who raised him. I can’t imagine what kind of life he has here in this silly town. Is his real mother going to claim him as she should? I’m sure it would be in Henry’s best interests.” She glances at the menu, running her finger down the list. “Honestly, dear, what could you possibly have to teach a child?”

Regina just stares. She will not cry or scream. She will do nothing, say nothing. Feel nothing.

“You don’t have anything to say about that?” Cora says. She looks over her shoulder and motions to Ruby to come to the table. When she arrives, Cora asks, “How’s the chicken salad?”

Ruby swallows, her lips twitching once. “Pretty tasty.”

“I’ll have that. And my daughter will have the same thing. And are you sure Henry should have what he--”

“Henry’s having a cheeseburger and fries. So am I,” Regina declares, handing Ruby the menu.

“So, one chicken salad, two cheeseburgers. Got it. Just water or--”

“Water is fine for all of us,” Cora replies. “Regina, I’m sure you’re watching your figure--”

“Two Vanilla Cokes,” Regina adds. “With an extra pump for Henry.” He’ll be up all night, but Regina doesn’t care. She’s going to treat her son to sugar and grease, because it’s the only thing she can do.

“My, dear, you’re quite the little rebel, aren’t you,” Cora says. “You haven’t changed, I see.”

“Oh, I have, Mother.” There’s a threat in her voice. “Thank you, Ruby.”

Ruby’s so unnerved she doesn’t respond, and leaves the menus on the table when she departs.

“Would you excuse me, Mother? I’m just going to check on Henry. He’s taking quite a long time.”

Cora doesn’t respond, so she just gets up from the booth and notices Emma is nowhere to be seen. In the back of the restaurant, she finds Emma and Henry arguing quietly.

“She’s bad, Emma,” Henry says. “I don’t know who she is in my Book—I have to--”

“Don’t dawdle, Henry,” Regina interrupts. “Miss Swan, I need a favor.”

“Henry can stay with me tonight,” Emma says before Regina even asks. “We’ll make room.”

“Good,” Regina sighs in relief. “I’ll drop him off in a couple of hours. Now, Henry, your grandmother is waiting. Have you used the restroom?”

He shakes his head. “Don’t have to.”

“Then come along,” she says, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey!” Emma says, grabbing Regina’s arm. “What’s wrong with her? Seriously, I need to know how worried I should be.”

“Not at all. I just need to straighten out a few things before--” Regina considers how she should put this. “Before Henry should stay at the house while she’s here. It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

“Excuse me?” Emma’s anger flares. “No way. I can tell she’s…” Emma bites back what she’s about to say. _The one who hurt you_ , Regina hears in the back of her mind. Emma’s not stupid, despite what Regina has often thought over the past months. “She’s trouble. Isn’t she, Regina?”

“She’s nothing I can’t handle.” _Unless she brought my heart in a box to this world_ , Regina thinks. _Then the fact that I am in grave danger might be putting it mildly_. “No more questions, Sheriff Swan.”

“I don’t want Henry near her if there’s a risk--”

“She doesn’t care about Henry. She never has,” Regina says, frowning. She shouldn’t have spoken so plainly. But Cora won’t bother with Henry because he’s not of their bloodline. Cora cares about holding one person under her thumb, and one person only. “There’s a reason she’s here, and it’s not to meet Henry, or you, or anyone else.”

“Then why is she here?” Emma demands in a hiss.

Regina opens her mouth to speak, but no words come. “I—I’m not certain.”

“Well you’d better find out.” Emma looks down at Henry and puts a hand on his head. “Kid, you remember what we talked about, okay?”

“I’m on it,” Henry replies, and Regina drags him away. They’ve been gone too long already.

“What exactly were you discussing with Miss Swan?” Regina asks.

Henry smiles as he and Regina approach the booth. Cora waits silently, staring at the wall. “Nothing, Mom. Just be cool.”

They slide into the seat, one after another, and Cora smirks at both of them. “I hope you washed your hands, Henry,” she says.

Henry makes a face. “Um, yeah.”

Regina takes a deep breath. Glancing over at Ruby, she hopes the food comes quickly. This is going to be a very, very long night.

\---

\---

Less than an hour after Regina drops Henry off at Emma’s, the two of them hop in the car and get back on the road. Henry has stakeout supplies: his fairytale book, flashlights, candy bars, two cartons of low-fat milk packed in a lunchbox cooler, and the other halves of two listening devices. In the few minutes he had to get his stuff together to go to his “sleepover,” he outfitted both devices with fresh batteries and taped them down in the “on” position. One is in the kitchen in a flour container left cracked, while the other is on the floor of the sitting room, shoved under the couch. It is the riskiest move either of them has ever taken as a part of Operation Cobra, but to be honest, their motivation is completely separate from that agenda tonight. They just want to know what Cora has in store for all of them, and that means eavesdropping. If Emma wasn’t desperate, she never would have agreed to it, but considering she had exactly two minutes to plan with Henry in the diner, she didn’t get a lot of time to think it through.

Right now, it seems like a huge mistake, but it’s too late.

As she gets near the house, she kills the headlights. She’s driving the prowler instead of the Bug—she doesn’t want to risk anyone hearing the engine, which seems to get louder with each passing day. Henry sits fidgeting in the front seat, and they park down the block, some distance away from the house.

“Is this close enough?” Emma asks.

Henry holds up the baby monitor and it crackles, but there’s no other noise. “It should be. The book says it’s supposed to work at 800 feet. We’re way closer than that.”

“Where’d you get that thing? Are you sure it even works?”

“Of course it works. It’s Mom’s—it was in my room till I was at least five. She was always paranoid I’d die in the middle of the night. Or that I’d get kidnapped. Maybe she was worried someone would remember their real fairytale life and come to steal me or something.”

“I’m sure that’s it,” Emma mumbles, holding up the binoculars. The blinds are drawn, but there are lights on in a few rooms of the house. Her heart is beating a little faster than normal, but she has no idea what to expect. Hopefully, all of her worries are for nothing, and Regina and Cora have a perfectly normal mother/daughter relationship.

Then she remembers the way the goosebumps rose on her skin the moment she first saw Cora, and she knows this is not the case. Even Henry is certain that there’s something up, and he never gives Regina the benefit of the doubt.

They sit for a while, Emma watching the house, and Henry flipping through his book. “I’m still not sure who Cora is in the Fairytale world. There are a few villains she might be, but I need more information.” As the minutes tick by, Henry goes through half a pack of Rolos and is unwrapping a Snickers when they hear the first signs of life. “Which one is that?” Emma asks.

“Kitchen,” Henry says, biting into the candy bar and chewing fast.

There’s no conversation, but when they hear running water, and the “whoosh” of the gas oven lighting, it seems as if someone is making tea. Emma sighs, and waits. She checks her watch; it’s not even nine o’clock. Since Cora hasn’t been to visit Regina in what, ten years, it seems incredible that they aren’t spending time together catching up.

When the kettle whistles, Emma looks at Henry and shakes her head. “I don’t know, kid. This isn’t really working out the way you thought it would.”

“It’s early,” Henry pleads. “Don’t give up yet.”

“Oh, I’m not giving up. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

Henry shoves the last bite of his Snickers into his mouth. And he didn’t even offer to share. Emma snatches the Rolos from the pile on the seat and tears the foil off one.

She’s sucking the chocolate off the caramel when she hears the first voice.

_“Hello, dear.”_

Henry’s face snaps in Emma’s direction. “Cora,” he whispers. Emma nods.

_“Hello, Mother.”_

There’s a long pause between them that makes Emma’s stomach tie up in knots. All this time she was thinking that having a mother, a real mother, would have made her life so much better. If she’d been saddled with a mother like Cora, she’s sure everything would’ve been worse.

 _“Aren’t you going to make me some tea as well?”_ Cora asks finally.

_“Of course. I have some chicory root and--”_

_“Don’t you keep valerian on hand?”_ Cora snaps. _“I’ll never be able to sleep in that horrible bed upstairs. I’ll need it.”_

Emma shifts in her seat. Her discomfort is growing exponentially.

_“Certainly. Let me just find it—I don’t like to keep it out in case Henry--”_

“ _Henry,_ ” Cora interrupts. “ _My word, you coddle that child. That dinner you let him have was beyond the pale. And the sweets—I don’t know where you got the impression that any of those things are good for growing children. I didn’t raise you to give in to every notion a ten-year-old boy has. He leads you around by the nose,_ ” Cora says, scoffing. “ _Ridiculous_.”

_“Sometimes Henry likes a treat. I thought it would be nice.”_

“ _And the fact that you allowed him to attend that silly sleepover, knowing that I’m here. Really,_ _Regina_ _, it’s as if you didn’t want him to spend any time with me_ .” Cora’s voice drifts closer to the baby monitor. _“Is that true, dear? Don’t you want me to get to know the boy you call your son?”_

“ _He is my son,_ ” Regina says calmly, but Emma can hear the desperation behind it.

Cora laughs, and the sound makes Emma’s spidey senses immediately go into overdrive. If one can judge a person by her laughter, this lady is batshit crazy. “ _Enough about that child. What I really want to know,_ _Regina_ _, is what’s been going on in this town lately_.”

Regina takes a long time to reply. “ _Nothing, Mother. Everything is fine. I don’t know what you’re talking about._ ”

There’s that laugh again; this time it’s quieter. There’s a rustling noise, but Emma can’t tell what they’re doing. “ _My dear daughter, do you really believe that after all this time that I can’t tell when you’re lying to me?_ ” The words sound like they’re coming through gritted teeth. “ _Tell me. Who is it?_ ”

Seconds tick by. “ _Mother, I don’t have time for this. I have to get ready for tomorrow, it’s--”_

“ _Don’t you walk away from me,_ _Regina_ _! I’ve been watching your--”_

There are noisy clomping sounds, and her voice fades out. Emma stares down at the walkie while Henry slaps his leg. “No! They’re leaving the kitchen!”

They wait, and Emma wills the walkie to crackle into life. Less than ten seconds later, it happens, and she sighs in relief. “ _—I own you, my girl. I have since the beginning, since the moment you took your first breath. And just because you’ve chosen to spend time in this ridiculous little hamlet doesn’t change that. So tell me why your little heart is pounding so wildly these days, because I know it’s someone in this gods-forsaken place. Some man is making you weak. And we all know what happens when you’re weak, Regina_.” Cora spits her name like a curse.

Emma is particularly nervous about the direction of this conversation. Glancing down at the son they both lay claim to, she has no idea what to do with him. But a moment later, Emma is struck by the steel in Regina’s voice. “ _I am not weak,_ _Mother_.”

With a snort, Cora replies, “ _You are weak. You always have been. Even after all the lessons I taught you, you have never learned strength. I haven’t seen a single man here worthy of your attention, much less more than that. Allowing yourself to care for someone_ \--“

“ _There is no man in my life. There hasn’t been for some time, and even if there was, there’s nothing you can do about it._ ”

“ _Don’t talk back, child_ ,” Cora hisses, and Emma thinks she hears Regina gasp. She wishes she could see what was happening. But when she hears Regina groan, Emma starts to panic. She hears a loud ‘thwack,’ followed by the sound of something falling, and Emma is convinced Regina was just assaulted by her own mother. “ _You will tell me or you will be sorry,_ ” Cora growls.

“ _Why did you come here?_ ” Regina cries, her voice filled with pain. “ _How many times must you destroy my life?_ ”

“ _Destroy? Oh my darling_ _Regina_ _, I love you. I love you so much that I am obligated to help you make appropriate choices. And if that means I must visit you to issue reminders from time to time, I am more than willing to do so. You deserve this,_ _Regina_ _. You need it_ .” The room goes silent, and Emma holds her breath. “ _Now. Tell me._ ”

“ _Mother, for the last time, there is no one--”_

“ _I see it in your eyes,_ ” Cora says. “ _It’s that same pathetic look that you had when you were mooning over that stable boy, Danie--”_

The wordless roar Regina emits stuns Emma so badly she jumps in her seat. “ _Don’t you speak his name! Don’t you ever speak his name in my presence!_ ”

Emma has never heard Regina make a sound like that. It terrifies her. Henry is staring at the walkie, breathless.

“ _He was nothing. Nothing!_ “ Cora shouts. After that the words are garbled for some reason, but then they clear up. “ _I gave you everything. I saved you from a life of poverty and servitude, and you refuse to get over that boy._ ”

“ _Don’t, Mother_.” Regina ’s voice is strangely robotic. “ _Never again._ ”

There’s another low chuckle, and Emma feels a yawning sympathy for Regina. “ _So there’s no man--”_ Cora inhales. “ _Oh, don’t tell me._ ”

“ _Mother--”_

“ _A woman,_ ” Cora breathes. “ _Which one is she? It can’t be any of the—oh my darling. No, no no, we can’t have that. How could you?_ ”

Emma sits up straight in the car, and does not glance at Henry.

“ _Mother, I think it’s time you leave--”_

“ _The sheriff, with the terrible red jacket. Henry’s own mother?_ ” Cora sneers.

Emma gasps, and Henry’s face jerks in her direction. She has no choice but to say, “Henry, out of the car. Five minutes. Stay right by the door, but don’t let anyone see you.”

Henry, to Emma’s surprise, does exactly as she commands. Maybe it’s the tone of her voice. Or maybe it’s because he doesn’t want to know more than he’s already learned.

Cora continues, “ _So blond and beautiful, isn’t she. And the blood of your own adopted son, how convenient--”_

“ _Don’t do this, Mother. Miss Swan is nothing to me. She is important to Henry, and that is all--”_

“ _My sweet daughter, I’ll have to have a chat with your little sheriff tomorrow--”_

“ _You stay away from her!_ ” Regina shouts, so loudly that from Henry’s flinch outside the car, he can hear it through the door. “ _If you go near her, so help me, you will regret ever showing your face in Storybrooke. Do you understand?_ ”

“ _But_ _Regina_ _, you forget. I can break you. I don’t even have to try,_ ” Cora says, and there is a stretch of quiet that puts Emma on edge.

“ _Stop it, Mother, you’re hurting me. Stop it!_ ” Regina groans, until there’s a crash. “ _I’ll be good, Mother! Oh, I promise, I’ll be good!_ ”

The words spur Emma into action. Whoever said that isn’t Regina—it literally sounds like a different person. She tosses the walkie into the back seat and is out of the car in a flash. “Henry, come on. You called me from Alex’s because you had a bad dream and you couldn’t reach Regina’s cell, got it?”

“Got it,” Henry says, grabbing his backpack. He runs behind Emma on the way up to the door, until Emma pounds on it. Her heart slams against the inside of her ribcage for more reasons than she can even consider, but her first notion is to save Regina from whatever hell her mother is raining down on her.

“Regina!” Emma shouts, “Open up!” She waits, holding herself back from kicking the door down.

Finally, Emma hears footsteps, and the door flies open. Regina is there, breathless, a red welt forming across her cheek. Emma shakes her head once at the wild look in Regina’s eyes, but she keeps her voice cool. “Henry tried calling you, but he couldn’t get through, so he called me.”

Henry steps forward, and to Emma’s surprise, he hugs Regina around the waist. “Sorry, Mom, I didn’t want to stay the night anymore. I hope it’s okay that I came home.”

Regina smiles, and for a moment Emma sees her wince. Her cheek must be causing her some pain. “It’s all right, dearest. Come in.” Regina swallows and glances up at Emma. “Thank you, Miss Swan. My ringer must be off.”

Emma wonders what she knows, if anything, but they both stand up straighter when Cora approaches the entryway. “Sheriff, how wonderful,” Cora drawls. “My daughter and I were just speaking about you.” She smiles, and Emma feels ill. “And Henry. I thought you were out for the night.”

“Bad dream,” he murmurs, not moving from Regina’s side. They are, for the first time, a united front against a common enemy.

“Ah, what a shame. But having you home means we can have a nice breakfast tomorrow, won’t we?” Cora looks up at Emma. “Perhaps you’d like to join us, Sheriff. You seem very much a part of Regina’s little family, as Henry’s _real_ mother.”

Regina closes her eyes, and Emma’s mouth hardens. “Regina is Henry’s mom, Mrs. Mills. I gave birth to him, but she’s his mother. She loves him as much as any mother could love a child.”

“Oh I’m sure that’s true,” Cora purrs. “It’s nice to see you, Sheriff, but I’m sure you have other plans for the evening. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, yes?”

“Count on it,” Emma says. She doesn’t look at Henry, or Regina. “I look forward to getting to know you, Cora.”

“The feeling is entirely mutual, dear.” Cora lifts an eyebrow and turns away, gliding into the kitchen.

Regina stands very still, one arm held protectively across Henry’s body. “All right, Miss Swan. Thank you again.”

Emma leans down and ruffles Henry’s hair, trying to diffuse the tension in his small body. “G’night, kid. It’s okay, got it?”

Henry nods, frowning.

“See you in the morning, then,” Regina says.

Emma just grins. _Not if I see you first_.

\---  



	4. This Great Distance

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

  


Part IV

Regina locks the window as soon as she makes it to her room.

Henry is in bed, his own door locked, even though nothing could stop Cora from going in and killing him if the spirit moved her. But Regina knows Cora has no magic here. Of course, neither does Regina, aside from the traces left in her father’s underground crypt. Despite that, just knowing the woman who made her life a living hell is only a few yards away is driving her out of her mind with worry. It doesn’t help that Regina’s heart has already made an appearance once tonight, when Cora held it, and squeezed it to bring her under control. It worked. Regina is powerless and afraid.

She strips quickly, glancing at the locked window with something like yearning. In the bathroom, she tries not to think about what it was like to fuck ( _make love_ ) to Emma in this very small space only days ago. It felt marvelous, like something she could do every night if she could only gather the courage to ask for it. But Emma wouldn’t want that. She is only interested in Regina for sex.

Except… Except for those looks Regina is becoming accustomed to seeing. The touches. The sighs and kisses and embraces.

God damn Emma Swan for ever coming to Storybrooke and ruining everything.

Before she steps into the shower, she checks Henry’s door once more, and notes that Cora’s is shut tight. Regina will be up all night, watching to make sure it stays that way.

She shuts her eyes and ignores this feeling. Once in the shower, she realizes how much her cheek stings. She really needs to get some ice so it doesn’t swell. At least the bruise on her back won’t show, unless Emma sees it.

Which she won’t, because as long as Cora is around, Emma is going to be kept at arm’s length. Or better yet, significantly father away.

Out of the shower, she dries off and pulls on her pajamas. But she gasps in panic as soon as she steps back into the bedroom: Emma is at the window, prying it open with a crowbar. At once Regina exhales a “No,” but in moments Emma has jerked the window up and climbed in.

“Where is he?” she demands.

Regina answers without thinking. “His room.”

“I heard her hit you, Regina. Henry’s sleeping in here tonight. We all are.”

Regina is so startled she doesn’t even react when Emma breezes past her, out the door to Henry’s room. She scratches on the wood quietly, and it sails open. “Come on,” she whispers, and the two of them hurry back into Regina’s room. Emma shuts the door, locks it, and tucks a chair from the corner under the jamb. “It won’t really hold, but it would give us a few seconds if we need it.”

Regina stands there, frozen.

“I’m staying,” Emma states, as if there is no room for discussion. She places a hand on the gun at her waist before removing the holster and leaving it on the nightstand. “Kid, don’t touch this, got it?”

Henry nods, white-faced.

Regina finally finds her voice. “What—what are you doing here?”

Emma blinks at her slowly. “I’m going to stay with you and Henry until morning,” she says with certainty, as though Regina won’t understand unless she enunciates carefully. “Then I’m going to climb out the window and show up for breakfast as if I was never here. Okay?”

“No,” Regina says, concerned already for whatever Henry thinks is going on—

“Mom,” he says urgently. “She’s bad. We need to stick together. Right?”

At that moment, Regina realizes that Henry is more than simply right. She is torn—how can she put these two people in danger? But in this moment, she needs them far more than they need her. “Yes,” she finally says, relieved to finally have someone on her side. Someone who will fight for her, who won’t just stand by and let the bad things happen.

Someone who isn’t her father.

Emma goes to the dresser and pulls open the second drawer, where Regina keeps her workout clothes. Regina hopes Henry doesn’t wonder how she knows where to look for something to sleep in, but Emma just disappears into the bathroom and shuts the door. Regina is alone with her son, who looks uncomfortable. She sits at the side of the bed, wringing her hands.

“She must be why you’re the way you are,” Henry finally says, and Regina turns to him with wide eyes.

They stare at one another, and after a brief internal debate, Regina nods. “I suppose.”

He steps into her arms then, his hands patting her shoulders. “I’m still not sure who she is in the book, but I might have an idea. Mom, I didn’t know,” he says, gripping her tightly. “I thought--”

Emma emerges from the bathroom, and Henry pulls away. There are tears in his eyes, and he wipes at his face with his palms before dashing into the bathroom himself. Regina can’t think of anything to say, so she just stays put. Emma sits down next to her, their bodies touching from shoulder to thigh. “This is an awful idea,” Regina says.

“Yeah, well we’ve had worse.” Emma doesn’t move, not to hold her hand or kiss her. “Henry and I heard a lot of the conversation you had with Cora. There was a walkie in the sitting room, and another in the kitchen. I know it was a bad idea, but I didn’t realize how bad it was till it was too late.”

Regina is stunned; what did they hear? Dear God—

“I’m not going to apologize though. I heard her hit you. It might have been a lot worse had we not shown up when we did,” Emma adds. “I don’t know what she’s got on you, Regina, but I don’t want either you or Henry alone with her if you can help it.” Only then does Emma meet Regina’s eyes. They are haunted, as Regina’s surely are too. “She really fucked you up, didn’t she,” Emma says. It’s not a question.

Regina inhales, careful not to give away anything. She wants so badly to say yes, to explain everything. “She’s not a good person,” Regina chokes out.

Emma purses her lips. “If that’s how you want to play it, fine. But I’m only letting it go so far. I’ll stay here till she leaves, every night. I’d make Henry stay with me at Mary Margaret’s, but then you’d be on your own, and that can’t happen either. So no more locking me out, get it?”

Licking her lips, Regina glances at the window still hanging open. The latch is broken now, so it wouldn’t matter anyway. “Okay.”

Henry comes through the bathroom door and climbs around them onto the bed, pulling the covers down. “I’ll be in the middle,” he declares, planting himself in the center of the enormous mattress. Emma nudges her with an elbow before rolling over and crawling to Henry’s other side. Before she joins them, Regina gets up to lower the window and shade. She sets her alarm for six, hoping like hell Cora won’t be up before then. She’ll shoo Emma out, and for an hour or so she and Henry will be alone in the house with her mother.

But for now, she’s not alone. She slips under the cool sheets and stares at the ceiling, motionless. But then she feels Henry’s hand at her shoulder, urging her closer.

“Come on, Mom,” he whispers.

She would do anything to protect her son. Apparently, so would Emma. If she knew the things Cora had done over the years, Emma would demand Henry be spirited away for safe keeping. But for now, Regina feels safe, or at least safer. Especially when Emma’s arm folds across the space between them to rest on her hip.

“We stay together,” Emma says softly, and Regina feels Henry nod next to her.

In the darkness, Regina finds Emma’s hand and squeezes it tightly. She’s never needed anyone this way. It hurts more than she thought it would. But it’s nice not to be alone for once. 

Despite her fear, she falls asleep quickly still holding Emma’s hand, breathing in the comforting scent of her son’s hair.

\----

Light is just beginning to glow behind the shade when Emma awakens. She glances at the digital clock on the other side of the bed. It reads 5:42, which means she got a lot more sleep than she expected. The chair hasn’t budged from its position under the door jamb, which is good, but she still hates the idea of leaving Regina and Henry with the abusive nutjob sleeping a few yards away.

Especially when the two of them are so close to her, right now. Henry is on his side, spooned against Regina, mouth open and drooling on the pillow. His hair is sticking up, and his sweet little boy face makes Emma’s heart squeeze painfully. She realizes she’s never seen him asleep before.

Then again, she’s never seen Regina asleep either. She is frowning, and Emma winces when she hears a strange sound coming from her direction. When she spots Regina’s jaw moving slightly, it’s clear that Regina grinds her teeth like a champion. It’s a wonder she’s got any enamel left on her pearly whites, because it sounds like she’s drilling for oil in there.

One arm is clamped around Henry’s middle, while the other extends under her pillow. Only moments later does Emma realize that her hand is actually tucked under Emma’s shoulder. Emma’s feet extend across the bed, touching Regina’s shins since Henry’s got his knees pulled up to press against Emma’s hips.

It feels far too familial for Emma’s comfort. Especially because she enjoys the sensations way too much. Carefully she eases away, leaving a pillow in place of her own body, hoping it won’t disturb either of the other two occupants. She heads for the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face, stopping to pee and get her thoughts organized.

The plan for today: go home, shower, get changed, come back and have breakfast with the Devil Incarnate. After that, she’ll play it by ear.

When she returns to the bedroom, Regina is standing by the window. The shade is up, and the morning is cloudy but brightening by the second.

“Hi,” Emma whispers. She glances at the bed, and Henry is under the covers and dead to the world, his face pressed into the mattress.

“Hello,” Regina says. She can barely look at Emma, instead keeping her eyes trained outside. “I don’t think it’s a good idea if you stay here again.”

Emma just smirks. She can see the faint welt that stretches along Regina’s cheek, and reaches out to touch it. “I know you don’t. But you can’t keep me away.” She huffs. “You tried to push me out of town, and look where I ended up. Just give up. It will save you some energy.”

Regina doesn’t even crack a smile, and she knocks Emma’s hand away from her cheek. Her eyes are wet, but no tears fall. “You don’t know what she is,” Regina hisses. “You can’t.”

“Then tell me what she is,” Emma pleads. “What did she do to you?”

There’s the smile Emma was looking for earlier, but it holds no sweetness. Regina touches her swollen cheek. “She made me what I am.”

Looking at the floor, Emma feels shy. “You’re not so terrible. I mean, you’re tough but you’re a great mom. And you’re not an ax murderer. I think,” she quips. Again Regina doesn’t respond to the joke. “Sorry. I just mean that you’re a good with Henry, no matter how much I bitch about you, and you run the town--”

“None of that matters, in the end,” Regina says. “I’m serious, Emma. Don’t come back. Don’t even come for breakfast this morning. It’s not--”

“Listen,” Emma hisses, grabbing Regina’s elbow and pulling her close. “Cut it out. Nothing, not a single word you say, is going to keep me away, Regina. Got it? Nothing. Ever.” Her protective instinct is shrieking, which is amazing since she never in a thousand years would have thought Regina Mills, the Evil Queen of Henry’s storybook, would need protection. But here in the real world, she does. “I’ll be here by 7:30 and if you don’t answer the door I’ll break it down. Understand?”

“I never wanted this,” Regina murmurs, as if to herself. “I never wanted any of this.”

“Me neither, but we’re in it. So stay in here as long as you can, and we’ll face her together.”

At that, Regina looks at Emma, her unmarred cheek glowing in the grey light. She is as beautiful as anything Emma has seen in her life, and recognizing this fact causes her heart to plummet to her feet. She’s in way deeper than appropriate or safe. But the faint lines of Regina’s face, and the way her tousled hair flips up at the ends, and the warm sleep smell of her skin all seem to cancel out the peril inherent in such a wellspring of emotion.

After taking a moment to check that Henry is still sleeping, Emma leans in to press her lips to Regina’s. It might be the first kiss they’ve shared that won’t lead to sex. It only causes a gentle ripple in Emma’s libido, for which she’s grateful. Instead, if feels… nice. Like Regina might actually care if she lived or died.

Smooth hands cup Emma’s cheeks as the kiss progresses into something less than chaste. Blood rushes in Emma’s ears as her breathing picks up, until Regina breaks away. She actually takes a step backwards, shaking herself out of wanting to continue. Emma just smiles until Regina waves a hand toward the window as if to say, “Are you leaving or what?”

“Stay strong,” Emma tells her. When Regina’s mouth slackens and her eyelashes flutter in a completely uncalculated move, Emma asks, “What?”

Regina swallows, and says, “Nothing. Go.”

“Okay,” Emma frowns. “See you in a few.”

She lurches out the window and steps lightly across the roof, climbing down the garage lattice. Regina is still watching when Emma looks up to wave goodbye.

An hour later, she is dressed and sucking down coffee at Mary Margaret’s kitchen table when David stumbles out of the bedroom.

“Oh,” he says. “Sorry.” He looks guilty.

Emma raises an eyebrow. She shouldn’t have an opinion about this, but the “affair” thing leaves a bad taste in her mouth. “It’s all right. I’m leaving in a few minutes.”

“Um, okay. I’ll just--”

“I’m not going to keep you from using the bathroom if that’s what you’re worried about.” _Just don’t hurt Mary Margaret or I’ll knock your block off_ , she thinks.

David nods, carrying his jeans in front of his boxer shorts so Emma doesn’t get an eyeful. At least he’s wearing a tee shirt.

A moment later, when the shower is running, Mary Margaret emerges wearing her polka dotted pajamas. Emma gives her a half-grin at the surprised look on her face. “Emma! I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Yeah,” she says, not bothering with an explanation. “I got that.”

Mary Margaret’s mouth turns down at the corners as she shuffles into the kitchen. “Sorry. He fell asleep and I didn’t have the heart to wake him.”

“I’m sure.” Emma sips her coffee, already looking forward to the next cup. There isn’t going to be enough caffeine in the world to get her through this day, and it’s only just started.

“Emma, he’s going to make it official--”

“Then he should just do it,” Emma says, before biting back the rest of what wants to come out of her mouth. “It’s none of my business. I just think he needs to shit or get off the pot, so to speak.”

“Emma, don’t be crude.”

Emma laughs. “I’m giving it to you straight. Kathryn deserves better. She’s a good person, and so is David, and so are you. And no matter how much you love each other, it’s better for everyone if the truth comes out.” Emma slides off her stool and drains the rest of her coffee. “That’s all I’m going to say on the subject. You’re old enough to make your own decisions and you can tell me to shove it, but I care about you and I want you to be happy. This doesn’t seem like it’s going to make you happy. Okay?”

Mary Margaret nods like a kicked puppy.

“Geez, come here,” Emma says, pulling her into an embrace.

“I know you’re right,” Mary Margaret cries. “I just hate the idea of hurting anyone. I never thought I’d steal someone’s husband.”

“You can’t steal a husband who doesn’t want to be stolen,” Emma replies. “But you’re hurting Kathryn whether you want to or not. I’ve seen it. People think they don’t want to know the truth, but being lied to is worse.”

Mary Margaret nods, her tears falling on Emma’s neck. “I know. I’ll talk to him again.”

“Good. I gotta go anyway, so you’ll have time. Have a good day, okay?”

Mary Margaret squeezes Emma. She sniffles once before asking, “Where are you headed?”

Hesitating briefly, Emma replies, “The Mayor’s house for breakfast with Henry.”

Mary Margaret’s eyes widen. “Really? I heard Regina’s mother is in town. Ruby told me last night she saw them all having dinner together and that it was…strange.”

“Yeah,” Emma says. “I met her. She’s… well, I’ll know more when I get a chance to talk to her. I have to watch out for Henry, you know. I don’t want some crazy lady bothering him, and if she’s worse than Regina, we’re all screwed,” she jokes, knowing all the while she’s not joking. Not one bit.

“True,” laughs Mary Margaret. “Good luck. And thanks. Really.” She kisses Emma’s cheek.

“See ya.” Emma pats her on the shoulder and picks up her things from where she left them in the corner. The shower stops running, and she exhales in relief. Just in time.

She takes the Bug to Regina’s house, and it rattles down the streets until she pulls up and parks.  She can’t help but feel a foreboding coming from the home with its imposing lines and great size. Cora’s in there. Cora.

She’s taken very little time to think about what she overheard last night, but in a moment of reflection, she ponders them.

One: Why does Regina, a grown woman, let her own mother beat her?

Two: How did Cora know that Regina is… involved with anyone, and why would she even care?

Three: What kind of a mother doesn’t bother to visit her daughter for more than ten years, even to meet a grandchild?

Four: Who is Daniel, if that’s even his name, and what happened to him?

She’ll get the answers to none of those just sitting in her front seat, so she zips up her blue jacket (Cora’s already insulted the red one) and gets out of the car.

\----

Regina has no idea what Emma likes to eat, and while Cora has already put in a request for steel cut oatmeal, she’s going to make the best goddamned breakfast she can. That means blueberry pancakes, bacon, sliced tomatoes, toast, a freshly cut pineapple, and the aforementioned oatmeal. She’s had it on the stove for over an hour, since she didn’t sleep a wink after Emma’s departure. Her mother has very specific taste in oatmeal, and instant was not an option.

Henry’s upstairs, dressed for school but napping. He woke at 6 and Regina snuck him back to his own room, hoping Cora never knew a thing.

When the doorbell rings, Regina hears the elephant stomping of Henry rushing down the steps. Cora’s light tread follows moments later, and Regina inhales slowly. “Stay strong,” she says to herself.

Henry runs into the kitchen and announces unnecessarily, “Emma’s here.”

“Thank you, Henry,” she says, her voice clipped. “Set the table, please.”

They stare at each other for a moment before he does as she asks.

With the sounds of silverware and plates clacking against one another, Cora brings Emma into the kitchen. “Regina, dear, your friend is here. Sheriff Swan, I believe?”

“That’s right,” Emma replies. She doesn’t add, “Call me Emma.” “Morning, Mayor. Thanks for cooking.”

“My pleasure,” Regina says, stirring the oatmeal. The smell of it makes Regina sick; she ate it every morning of her entire childhood and adolescence. Cora likes it dry, with very little sugar but so much cinnamon that now Regina can barely stand the spice. It’s something that has always grated on her about Henry.

“Why don’t we sit down?” Cora glances around the kitchen. “Where’s the help?”

Regina doesn’t look away from the stove. “I don’t have help, Mother. I don’t need it.”

She imagines her mother frowning. “You don’t have a housekeeper? That’s ridiculous. Whyever not?”

“We have a lady who comes in and cleans once a week,” Henry offers as he carries the plates into the dining room. “Mom is a good cook.”

“Mm,” Cora hums. “This is a little below your station, wouldn’t you say, Regina?”

“Not really. I enjoy it. Now go sit down. Emma, pancakes?”

Emma approaches the stove and inhales. “Yep. And burn a couple of bacon strips, will you? I’ll help Henry.”

“My mother is having oatmeal. Can you get a bowl down?”

“Sure.”

When she does, Regina scoops a ladleful into the bowl, trying not to retch. “Thank you. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Wow,” Emma says, sniffing the concoction. “Smells good. What’s in it?”

“Cinnamon, I hope,” Cora replies. “If Regina remembers correctly.”

“Yes, Mother. I remember.” She flips the last pancake onto a warmed plate and slides a potholder on her hand so she won’t burn herself carrying it. The bacon is next, and Regina leaves a few strips frying as she brings everything into the dining room. It’s a pleasant orchestration between the three of them, as juice, coffee, toast and fruit is all delivered to the table while Cora waits none too patiently.

“All right,” Regina says, taking a seat. Henry sits across from her, Emma on his side while Cora has claimed the spot at the head of the table. Not a surprise. “I hope you like it, Mother.” She slides a small plate of bacon so crisp it’s already fallen to pieces across the table to Emma. “Burnt. Enjoy it.”

“I will,” Emma replies, snagging a piece and chomping it with waggling eyebrows. She glances over at Cora, who is watching them silently.

“So, Sheriff Swan. Tell me how you came to Regina’s town. It must have taken something unusual to bring you here. It’s so… small and quaint.” Cora manages to make both words sound like insults.

Emma eyes Henry before lying through her teeth. “Well, I’m sure you know I gave Henry up for adoption when he was born, but I left the option open for contact if he and his adoptive parents were interested in communicating. So when I reached out to the agency, they put us all in touch.” She shrugs. “I came to visit, and I liked the place so much I decided to stick around.”

“How… convenient,” Cora says. “So much so that it seems hard to believe. But how wonderful for you all to have found one another. Truly. Henry, you must like having two mothers so much, since poor Regina has never married. It is such a shame you never had a father. Has it been very difficult?” she asks Henry.

Regina wants to stab something.

“No,” Henry replies. “My mom is plenty. I never needed a dad. It’s nice having Emma around. She’s great.”

Cora scoops up a spoonful of oatmeal and smiles. “I’m sure that’s true.” She purses her lips at the taste but makes no comment.

Regina just rolls her eyes. She manages to get a whole pancake down before Cora continues, “It must have been very challenging having Henry’s real mother appear out of nowhere that way, Regina.”

Regina fastens her eyes on her mother. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, of course because if it were me, I would have expected that Sheriff Swan had come to take her son away. She is, after all, his real mother. You’re just a--”

“Isn’t adoption recognized in the, uh, city you live in, Ma’am?” Emma asks. “Because where we come from, adoption is a legal and binding agreement. Not to mention the fact that Regina was the only mother Henry ever knew. That’s what motherhood is. I gave birth to him, but she’s the real deal.”

Regina can’t help but smile; three months ago, she never would have heard such a thing come out of Emma’s mouth. Times have changed.

“If you say so, dear. But still, I can’t imagine Regina was very happy to see you. Wasn’t it awkward?” Cora asks.

“Kinda,” Henry chimes in. “But we worked it out.”

“I know you did, Henry,” Cora says. “Your two mothers seem quite… close.”

Emma’s knife scrapes the plate, and they all cringe. “Sorry,” Emma says with a sheepish grin. “Got a little eager there. These are delicious, Regina.” She pours more syrup on her pancakes and bacon before handing the dispenser to Henry, who mirrors her actions almost exactly.

For the first time, their matching behavior seems to fill something in Regina that she didn’t even know she’d been missing.

“Henry, I think that’s enough sugar,” Cora barks, and Henry hesitates before dumping one more spoonful on the plate. “And on a school day, no less. His poor teacher--”

“It’s a special occasion,” Regina says, trying to hang on to her patience. “This isn’t our daily fare.”

“Well that’s something at least. And the room I’m in could use a good dusting. Perhaps your ‘weekly cleaning’ isn’t enough. And there’s some strange iron wall-hanging that’s been damaged. You should really speak to your maid about how careful--”

Regina grips her fork very tightly, and she stops chewing as she understands what Cora’s referring to. She can’t even hear the rest of Cora’s words, and prays mightily that her face hasn’t turned red. “I’m getting some coffee, anyone want some?”

“I’ll come with you,” Emma adds, following her into the kitchen. “Shit,” Emma whispers. “I meant to help you fix it over the weekend.”

“It’s fine. I don’t know why I thought she wouldn’t notice,” Regina admonishes herself. “It’s not obvious what happened. And at least the sheets are clean, since we didn’t use the bed.” _Thank goodness_.  

Emma tops up her coffee, fills a pitcher of water and brings it back into the dining room. Meanwhile, Regina comforts herself with a little extra sugar in her coffee. She hates this feeling and wants to tell her mother to go away and never come back. Control is what Regina craves. Power is what she needs. But at the moment, she has neither. Her mother has it. All because of that little box upstairs.

The thought comes to her so smoothly it’s incredible she hasn’t had it earlier: what if Regina just walked up the staircase and reclaimed what was hers? She could do it very simply. The box will certainly open for her, unless there’s an enchantment on it. She needs to find out if this is the case, and soon.

Cora would never think she had the courage to defy her. But she does. She does because of Emma, and Henry.

Standing in front of the kitchen sink, she decides. She’s going to get her heart back. And if that means the curse breaks, so be it.

\----  
  


  



	5. This Great Distance

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

  


Part V

When breakfast is over, Regina ushers Henry and Emma out the door as fast as possible. She even asks Emma to pick him up after school and keep him at the station for a couple of hours, which of course Emma agrees to.

“What are you going to do with your mother?” Emma asks as they stand at the front door.

“Nothing. I’m going to work, and she’s going to entertain herself until I get home.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“No,” Regina admits, “But I need time to think. I’ll see you both later.” She kisses Henry and practically pushes them down the front walk.

Later, Emma gets exactly nothing done at work; she accomplishes even less than she had the day before, which is saying something. But when she goes for a third cup of hot cocoa at Granny’s after lunch, she sees something odd: Cora, walking down the sidewalk and heading into Gold’s Pawn Shop.

“Huh.” She pulls her phone from her pocket and dials Regina’s direct line, so she won’t have to go through the assistant.

“Is everything okay?” Regina says, instead of hello.

“Yeah, but your mom is in Gold’s.”

“What?” Regina says, her voice far louder in Emma’s ear than comfortable.

“I just watched her walk into the pawn shop. Do they know each other?”

There’s a pause. “They’ve met, yes. Was she carrying anything?”

Emma frowns. “What, you mean like a bag?”

“Yes!” Regina says impatiently.

Emma thinks back, and nods to herself. “Yeah. An ugly brown thing, like Mary Poppins carries. What do they call it, a carpetbag?”

“Dammit. Can you watch the shop and tell me when she leaves? I’ve got to do something.”

“Sure.” Emma’s afternoon is shot anyway, so she decides to go without a cocoa and plants herself in front of Granny’s, eyes trained on Gold’s.

Well over an hour passes before Cora exits the shop, still carrying the carpetbag. Emma figures this is as good a time as any for the cocoa she wanted earlier. She dials Regina’s line. “She just left,” she says.

“Good.” Regina replies, and hangs up. Emma stares at the phone, irritated. She was hoping for a few details, but they’ll have to wait.

When Emma picks Henry up, she fills him in. He is almost apoplectic when he hears the news. “This is bad, Emma. If Cora knows Rumpelstiltskin, there has to be dark magic involved. I wonder--” A few seconds pass before he actually gasps, and Emma would have laughed if he hadn’t been so serious. “My book!” He pulls it out of his backpack and flips through the pages. “What if she’s the miller’s daughter?”

“Who?” Emma isn’t usually very curious about Henry’s stories, but this one, she wants to know more about.

“The miller’s daughter. She’s the one who promises her firstborn child to Rumpelstiltskin in exchange for him spinning straw into gold. But the daughter tricks Rumpelstiltskin, and guesses his name, so she doesn’t have to follow through.” He finds the page he’s looking for, pointing. “And my last name is Mills. What if--” He looks up at Emma, eyes filled with fear. “What if my mom is the baby girl that Rumpelstiltskin wanted? What if he’s been after her this whole time, because he thinks she should belong to him?”

“Henry,” Emma says, putting an arm around him. “Don’t take this too far--”

“No! You don’t understand. If he’s involved, my mom—she’s still the Evil Queen, but he might have helped make her that way. What if he cursed her? Or what if Cora made another deal with him in exchange for something we don’t know about?” He smacks his forehead. “Oh no. This is very, very bad, Emma.”

Squeezing Henry close, Emma gives up trying to talk him out of whatever craziness his little brain is spinning for itself. She’ll just have to wait for him to come out of his fairytale trance before they can have more conversation.

At six, Emma drops him off at Regina’s, all the while wishing like hell she could go in with him. She still has the walkie and the baby monitor, but the batteries of the equipment in the house have gone dead. Maybe she’ll replace them tonight when she breaks in to sleep.

For the five hours she has to kill before she’s able to set foot in the MayoralMansion, Emma does the following things: she paces; she has two shots of whiskey; she eats a hot dog and fries and a chocolate shake; she watches her phone carefully in case it rings.

She also has a couple of fantasies about Regina, but they’re less colorful than usual. Too much of her mind is occupied by worry for her to get really into it.

Back in the prowler, she calls Ruby on her cell. “You making good on your OT, Rubes?” she asks.

“Yeah. How long am I going to have to do this?” Ruby asks.

“Coupla days, probably. Are you getting enough sleep?”

“Mostly. Anyway, who’s the lucky guy?”

Emma blinks. “Huh?”

“Well,” Ruby begins, and Emma can hear her smile. “I figure you’re banging some big manly man if your nights are all booked lately. Think he has a brother? Times are tough, Ems, and I need to get laid.”

Emma laughs. “It’s work-related. But I’ll keep my eyes open.”

“If you say so,” Ruby replies with a sigh. “Nothing special going on at the moment—no calls other than Miss Ginger about Pongo again.”

“Great. Just remember, in an emergency, call the fire department first, and then me.”

“Yes, ma’am, Sheriff Swan, I got it. When are you going to hire a real staff?”

“The day the Mayor approves the new budget. Which I think might happen sooner than later,” Emma says, flashing a grin. Especially if the Mayor has designs on taking up more of Emma’s evenings and/or weekends. Which she isn’t going to count on, but it’s nice to imagine.

After she hangs up with Ruby, who was more interested in chatting than Emma was, she slings her pack over her shoulders and sets off for the house. She’s more careful than she had been the night before, mostly because she’s had time to think her route through. Just parking near Regina’s and walking up the drive is not an option, so she leaves her car on the main road and keeps out of the light as she gets closer. She scales the garage lattice as usual, and is relieved the window is cracked. The bedroom light is off, so she’s extra quiet going in. She sends a quick text to Regina letting her know she’s arrived and hunkers down to wait.

Not ten minutes later, Regina pushes Henry through the door, and closes it. Henry joins Emma on the other side of the room, and after a quick hug, they both sit on the floor and lean against the bed.

“How was everything?” Emma asks.

“Cora is totally evil,” Henry assures her. “We’ve got to figure out what she has on my mom. Cora insulted her all night and Mom didn’t say a word. It was like an alternate universe. Or Bizarro Superman. Basically, she’s probably magical or something and Mom’s afraid.”

“When’s your mom coming to bed?”

“She just pretended to tuck me in, so I think soon. Cora’s acting all nice I don’t believe that for a second. Emma, but I’m glad you’re here. She’s bad. Super bad.”

“It’s okay, kid. I’m armed. We’re covered.”

Emma is afraid to get into the bed, in case they have unwanted visitors; instead she and Henry stay out of sight of the door. At least tomorrow is Saturday, so Henry doesn’t have to be up early. She feels guilty for keeping him up, but he just pulls a flashlight out from under the bed, along with a couple of comics.

“What?” he asks innocently. “I planned ahead.”

Emma is dozing when Regina finally comes in. Emma bolts up, and so does Henry—she imagines their two faces look funny as they peek up from the other side of the bed. But Regina is relieved to see both of them. She locks the door and uses the chair to block it before crawling onto the mattress.

“We good?” Emma asks. “For the night, I mean.”

“Yes. I added a little extra valerian to her tea. Hopefully it will keep her out till morning.”

“Nice one, Mom,” Henry says, nodding his approval.

“Oh, Henry,” Regina says, her tone automatically a little sharp, but there’s no bite to it, especially when she ruffles his hair. “Go use the bathroom. It’s time for bed.”

Henry rolls his eyes and huffs as he heads for the bathroom.

Emma watches Regina carefully, gauging the potential for her to get a kiss or two in. When Regina looks at her in anticipation, Emma goes for it, and their mouths meet with equal parts affection and desperation. Emma tries to feel everything she can as quickly as possible—the heat of Regina’s skin and the taste of her mouth are intoxicating, even in small doses. She steals one last kiss before pulling away, and the regret in Regina’s eyes mirrors her own. “Soon,” Emma tells her.

“Yes,” Regina replies with a sad smile. “Soon.”

\----

When Regina opens her eyes, Emma is watching her. It’s a curious feeling, but not a bad one. Emma reaches over and pushes a lock of hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek at the same time. “Morning,” she mouths.

“Morning,” Regina mouths back before glancing down at Henry, sandwiched between them. He’s a sound sleeper, and he is face down in the mattress. It’s a wonder he can even breathe, but his back rises and falls evenly.

“I’ll go,” Emma whispers, and Regina tries not to frown. She wants Emma to stay. In fact, she never wants to leave this room. After yesterday, and her unsuccessful attempt to locate her heart somewhere in the house while Cora was at Gold’s, she wants to give up. She still isn’t totally sure why Cora is here, and she doesn’t even want to know anymore.

Regina just nods to Emma and rises as carefully from the bed as Emma does. “Will you pick up Henry at 9? I’ll say you have a standing breakfast with him on Saturdays. My mother doesn’t have much interest in him anyway. I think she said ten words total to him last night.”

Emma’s brow crinkles; she’s probably wondering the same thing Regina is. If not to meet Henry, then why show up at all? “Okay. Sure you won’t come too?”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

Emma glances over at Henry to see if he’s still asleep, which he is. “Want to, um,” she says, softly, tilting her head in the direction of the bathroom. “For a second.”

Regina is tempted, but shakes her head. “Better not.” She doesn’t need her mother busting down the door if her heart starts pounding, which it would if she got within three inches of Emma’s bare skin. It’s already racing anyway.

“Right.” Flustered, Emma shoves her hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt she slept in. “Well. See you.”

“Bye.” Although she has morning breath, Regina can’t help but lean forward.

“My mouth is kind of gross,” Emma whispers.

Regina grins. “Mine too.”

That insouciant smile tilts Emma’s mouth upward, and Regina gets her kiss. And another, as their arms wind around each other. As kisses go, it’s very satisfying despite the fact that they’ve both tasted better. When Emma pulls away, she touches Regina’s mouth as if fascinated. Their eyes meet, and Regina knows that for better or worse, they’re in this together. All the way to the end.

Regina lets her hand slip along Emma’s waist. “Go.”

Emma swallows, and nods. “I’ll be by at nine.” She grabs her bag and climbs out the window, gracefully scaling the lattice as usual.

When Regina turns around, Henry is sitting up in bed, watching her. Regina gasps, hand pressed to her chest. “Henry,” she says softly. “You startled me.”

He doesn’t seem angry, or even upset. “You and Emma. You’re together.”

Regina simply nods.

“I knew, from the other night,” he says. “When Cora was talking about Emma and we overheard you. But I guess now I know it’s real.”

Regina has nearly forgotten the entire eavesdropping incident; more likely she’s been distracted by the memory of Cora squeezing her red, red heart in her hand. Henry and Emma’s deception has barely registered in her mind, but now all the things she’d shouted to Cora come rushing back. Things about Emma. Things about Daniel.

“If you’re the Evil Queen and you fall in love, what does that mean?” Henry asks.

Regina smiles. Of course that’s the first thing on his mind. Instead of arguing about fairytales, she asks, “What do you think it means?”

He blinks owlishly, so young and brilliant, so insightful about everything. Her wonderful, frustrating boy. “I think it means you want to break the curse.” His face changes as he considers what this means. “If you really love Emma, and she loves you, true love’s kiss will break any curse.”

She goes to the bed and sits at the edge. “Does Emma love me?” She genuinely wants to know.

He takes a breath. “I’m not sure. I never asked her.”

“Well, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” she tells him. “Emma’s picking you up at 9 for breakfast, but it’s still early.”

“Should I go back to my room?” he asks, looking up at her.

He ought to, she knows. “If you like. I don’t mind if you stay, though.”

He shrugs. “Okay.” Wriggling back down under the covers, he fluffs his pillow. “Are you sleeping too?”

“I’ll try. Be right back.” Regina moves the chair away from the door, just in case. It’s not so unusual for a boy to cuddle with his mother in the morning, is it? Of course, for Cora, it would be. Regina does not recall her mother ever snuggling with her. Her father did, but rarely. He was too much under Cora’s control. And too afraid.

Instead of trying to hold Henry, although she wants to so badly, she lies next to him and closes her eyes. When his fingers move over hers, she swallows and clasps his palm gently, keeping her grasp loose in case he wants to pull away.

He doesn’t. After he falls asleep, she stares at the ceiling and memorizes the weight of his hand in hers.

The alarm rings at 7:30, but Henry just turns over in the bed. Regina lets him sleep and showers before going downstairs to make her mother’s oatmeal. She brews strong coffee, and can’t even wait until the pot is full before pouring a cup. She stands and stirs cinnamon and oats, getting lost in the motion until she’s surprised by the sound of the doorbell. Too her dismay her pulse actually leaps in hope that it’s Emma; she pushes the feeling away and turns the heat down on the pot.

When she opens the door, she inhales—it’s not Emma.

It’s Gold.

“Hello, Mr. Gold,” Regina says, putting on her mask of civility.

“Hello, your majesty. May I come in?”

Regina does not frown. “For a moment. My mother hasn’t come down yet.”

“Oh, I know,” he says, and steps inside. “Something smells delicious. What’s for breakfast?”

“Nothing. You’re not staying,” she snaps, returning to the kitchen.

His uneven gait follows behind her, and he takes a seat on Henry’s usual stool. “I saw your dear mother yesterday, Regina. We had a very nice chat. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her.”

Regina doesn’t respond. She stares into the pot, unseeing.

“She told me something very interesting.” Regina doesn’t take the bait, and waits for him to continue. “You know I called her here.” Regina stiffens—he shouldn’t have been able to do such a thing without magic. He continues, “I sent her a message, and she came a-running. I was very lucky, you see. She owed me a favor.”

“You,” Regina hisses, turning around. “This is your fault. Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised. You always seem to be the source of my aggravation these days.”

“Me?” Gold asks, chuckling. “I thought Sheriff Swan was the source of your aggravation. She’s, how might you call it? Your competition, for little Henry’s affections. And of course you don’t get along very well, do ye?” He smiles, and his crowned teeth shine dully in the light. “Or perhaps you get along better than any of us know.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Gold?”

The grin fades, and his eyes narrow. “I’ve discovered why the curse that you cast has been weakening all these months. I’ve discovered why there are cracks forming beneath Storybrooke, and why I remembered my real name, and why your boy’s running around identifying fairytale characters from his precious book when he should know  _absolutely nothing about the truth_.” He sneers, and the expression is so filled with disgust makes Regina ill. “It’s because you’re weakening the curse yourself. Because of  _Emma Swan_. Your little girlfriend.”

Again, Regina is speechless. She can’t find a single word to deny what he’s accused her of.

“You can’t really love her, your majesty. Give up now. You’re incapable. It’s part of the curse, don’t you remember? There’s a void in your soul that you will never fill. Not with Henry, not with Emma, not with anything or anyone.”

“You know nothing of my soul,” Regina whispers, shaking. She is enraged. She is terrified.

“I know that if you continue on this path the curse will break, and I can’t have that. So I have to ask you, Madam Mayor--”

“No,” Regina says, suddenly knowing what he’s about to say. “No, you can’t--”

“I must ask you to stop seeing Sheriff Swan.”

Regina blinks. “No--”

“Please,” he says softly, with his dirty grin and lilting laugh. “And when you end it, there must be no tears, and no telling her why. End it. Kill it. Break. Her. Heart. And everything will go back to the way it should be. I expect if you do it right, she’ll leave town, and in the end we’ll both get what we want. How does that sound?”

“I won’t do it,” Regina says, trying to keep the shiver from her voice. She is unsuccessful. “I won’t”

“Oh, your majesty, you’ve made a good effort. But you will end this, because I asked you to. Because I said please. So thank you for that. And good day to you. Give your mother my best.” With that, Gold stands, limping out of the kitchen. She hears the door slam, and the sound echoes in the empty foyer.

The tears come then, blinding her as she grips the wooden spoon, smelling so much cinnamon that it brings bile into her throat. She retches over the sink, unable to contain all the emotions boiling over. “Bastard,” she growls. “That bastard.”

“Whoever are you talking about, dear?”

Regina whirls around, staring at her mother, who tilts her head and smiles prettily. “You,” she says. “You did this.”

“Did what? Is my breakfast ready?” Cora asks.

Regina uses her bare hand to knock the burning pot off the stove, burning herself. It ricochets against the wall, spattering oatmeal across white paint. “You did this. Why? Why must you do everything possible to ruin my life?”

The pleasant expression morphs into the scowl Regina is used to seeing. “I did nothing to you, dear. I owed a favor, and I paid it back. I’m free now to return home at my discretion.” Her mouth curves meanly. “But I think I’d like to stay a little while to see the fruits of my labor. I do believe I’ll get great enjoyment out of that.”

“Get out! I want you out of here--”

But Cora flies toward her, hand around Regina’s throat. “I may have no magic here, Regina, but I am your mother and you will mind me!” She shoves Regina against the wall so hard that Regina sees stars. “Be careful, dear. We wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself now, would we?” Cora squeezes, and Regina stares at her, wide eyed. For long moments, she can’t breathe.

“Mom?” Henry’s voice behind Cora is small but firm.

Cora pulls away, turning around. “Henry. Good morning,” she says as Regina gasps for breath. Her head aches, as does her throat.

Regina swallows, trying to find her voice. “Darling, get dressed. I’ll take you to Sheriff Swan’s. I—I have to have a word with her anyhow.”

Henry watches them both, unmoving. “Run along, dear,” Cora says, and Henry’s eyes fasten on her. His mouth tightens, and the way his lips firm reminds her painfully of Emma.

“Okay. I’ll be down in five minutes.” He glances over his shoulder repeatedly as he climbs the stairs.

“Control yourself, Regina. You’re as impulsive as ever. Later I’ll want you to take me to your father’s mausoleum. But first I’ll need breakfast.” She glances at the wall, her lip curling. “And clean that up.” She disappears into the sitting room, closing the door.

Regina wants to smash her mother’s head in until it’s nothing but a mass of blood and pulp.

Instead, she cleans the mess off the wall, and puts a new serving of oatmeal on the stove. When Henry gets downstairs, Regina is stirring calmly. She ignores the burn on her wrist; she’ll treat it later.

Henry doesn’t sit on his stool. He stands right next to her and leans against her body. His head rests near where her heart should be. “When’s she going away?” he asks.

Regina holds him against her, feeling that dangerous prick of tears behind her eyes again. “I don’t know, Henry. Soon.” She almost chokes on her next words, but manages to get them out. “You’re staying with Emma tonight. I don’t want either of you here.”

“You should come with us--”

“No, Henry. She’s my mother. I’ll be all right.”

He touches the burn on her hand, and she flinches. “That doesn’t seem all right,” he complains. “And I can see the mark on your neck. Is your head okay?”

“Yes, dear.” Regina hugs him tighter, always stirring the pot.

Moments pass, until Henry asks, “Was Mr. Gold here?”

Regina doesn’t want to answer anymore questions, but she does. “Yes.”

“I know he’s involved,” Henry says. “He wants something. But I haven’t figured out what.”

 _I have,_  Regina thinks, dreading the next hours. “Don’t you worry about Mr. Gold, Henry. He’s the least of our problems.”  _I hope_.

\---


	6. This Great Distance

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

  


Part VI

It’s not quite 8:30 when there’s a knock on the door. Emma’s hair is still wet from the shower, but at least she’s dressed, so she goes to get it. Mary Margaret and David have yet to emerge from their den of iniquity so she has the kitchen to herself.

Henry and Regina are waiting for her, and Emma frowns. “I was supposed to pick you up. What happened?”

Henry looks up at Regina, fear all over his face, and Emma’s heart sinks.

“This was easier,” Regina says, all business. Any warmth Emma has become used to feeling from her has fled. The old chill is back, and Emma is confused. “Henry will stay here tonight. He’s packed a bag. If you can’t put him up, please find someone who can. I’ll be unavailable.”

Eyebrow raised, Emma steps away from the door and holds out her arm to welcome them inside. “Nice to see you too,” she says, closing the door behind them. “Now, what happened?”

“Nothing,” Regina says, while Henry interrupts with, “Cora attacked her after Mr. Gold came to the house!”

“What?” Emma cries. “Are you all right?” She reaches out for Regina, who flinches and moves away.

Regina begins, “I’m fine--”

“I don’t know what Mr. Gold said, but she burned her hand and Cora tried to strangle her! I saw it!” Henry’s voice is far too loud; Emma hopes Mary Margaret and David stay the hell out of the kitchen.

“Jesus, Regina, you can’t go back there,” Emma says.

“Henry, please go upstairs. I need to speak with Sheriff Swan.” Again, Regina’s tone is stern. Emma’s stomach is turning inside out.

“No,” Henry says. “I won’t.”

Regina doesn’t even flinch. “Go up those stairs or so help me I will drag you up there myself. I only need a moment then you’ll both be rid of me.”

As if looking for permission, Henry turns to Emma, who nods slightly. Whatever Regina is about to tell her probably shouldn’t be said in front of a ten-year-old. Henry is so flustered he throws his backpack on the floor and kicks it halfway across the room. “Whatever.”

When he’s gone, Regina turns to Emma. She takes a deep breath and says flatly, “Our little ‘affair’ is over. We’re done. All right?”

Emma feels it like a sock to the gut, one she absolutely does not expect. In the past, the few “relationships” she’s had were all ended on her own terms. Her personal rule is that she’s the one who does the leaving. Now she finds that being dumped is worse than anything she’s imagined. “What?” She is breathless with hurt.

“I don’t want to see you anymore, Miss Swan. You may continue to visit with Henry daily, but we--”

Emma zones out as Regina goes on about their arrangement. Instead of listening she watches Regina’s blank face, thinking back to the sweetness of her kiss that morning. She remembers how they’d clung to one another, how Regina’s hands tangled in her hair during their brief goodbye. She can see even now the brightness of her eyes, filled with fear and hope.

All that brightness is gone now.

“Are you even listening, Miss Swan?” Regina barks.

“No,” Emma replies, and turns toward the steps. “Henry!” she shouts. Henry’s face instantly appears from behind her bedroom door. “Come back down here.”

“No,” Regina says, pointing at him.

“Quiet,” Emma says, cutting her off. When he jumps with a thud to the bottom of the stairs, Emma says, “Listen, kid, your mom just broke up with me.”

Regina’s eyes widen, and Henry actually stomps his foot on the floor. “No way! That is so dumb. What the heck, Mom!”

Regina is quick to try and appease him. “Henry, this has nothing to do with you--”

Henry isn’t having it, which is exactly what Emma wants. “So it was Mr. Gold, right? That must be what he told you to do this morning. He thinks you two being together is a problem.” Henry sounds perfectly reasonable, and Emma nods in agreement. She can’t believe this, but Henry’s grasp of the behind-the-scenes politics in Regina’s life feels accurate. “Is it the curse? Does he not want the curse to break?”

Emma rolls her eyes, but to her shock, Regina’s face actually freezes. For a moment, Emma thinks she’s about to say yes. She looks down at Henry, and he nods. “Yeah,” he says. “But you can’t say, right?” His face contorts in concentration. “But what does that have to do with your mom—oh! She’s the one who figured out you and Emma are together! Mr. Gold didn’t know until Cora told him yesterday, and if you fall in love, you could make the curse break. Duh! I should have known.”

“Henry,” Regina says, and her voice is shaking. “You’ve taken this too far, dear.”

“Mom, it’s okay. I know it’s not your fault.” He turns to Emma. “Emma, yesterday you told me there was a bag that Cora was carrying when she went to Mr. Gold’s shop. Right?”

Emma bobs her head and realizes she never did get a straight answer from Regina about the bag at all. “Yeah. I forgot about it. But—what do you think is in that bag, Regina?”

Regina is completely out of her element, confusion apparent in her eyes. “I don’t know—I can’t--”

“What’s in that bag, Mom?” Henry pleads. “Does it have anything to do with this? Please, tell me. We can help.”

Regina’s mouth opens. She looks up at the ceiling as her composure begins to falter. “I—I,”

“Come on, Regina. What is it?” Emma demands. She steps closer, touching her elbow gently.

Finally, it comes out. “Something that belongs to me,” Regina whispers, like it pains her to say the words. “I—I didn’t want it for a long time, but everything’s changed, and Emma came here, and all of this happened so fast, and now I,” she swallows against tears that have gathered in her eyes, “I want it back. I need it back.”

“What does it look like?” Henry asks, ever practical.

Regina looks down at him, tears shimmering in her eyes but never falling. “It’s a small chest, like a jewelry box. It—it might have my name on it. I don’t know, I’ve never seen it.”

Henry nods quickly. “Okay, we need a plan. Operation—what should we call it, Emma?”

 _Operation I don’t know what the hell is going on here_ , Emma thinks. This is one of the most bizarre conversations she’s ever had with either of them, and there’s just enough weirdness underneath that makes her start to wonder whether the curse just might be real. It’s crazy, but at least she doesn’t feel like she just got dumped. Weird is way better than being dumped. “Operation Eagle,” she says, the name coming to her easily.

“Okay, good. I’ve got the other walkie in my bag, do you still have the one from the car?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Emma says, considering where it might be. “It’s in the back seat I think.”

“Then Mom, you have to get Cora out of the house today. She can’t bring the bag with her wherever you go, okay? I mean, she probably won’t if you’re with her. She’ll think nobody else would know about the box.”

“That’s right,” Regina replies. “I’m supposed to take her to my father’s grave today.” Her voice is thick with sadness.

“Cool,” Henry says. “We’ll go to the house and find it then. But we have to be fast. Mr. Gold might be watching.”

“Henry,” Regina says, pleading. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. It’s not safe--”

“Mom, we can do this,” Henry tells her with all the courage he has. Even Emma believes in him. “Let me help you.”

Seconds go by; Emma can hear the clock ticking as Regina watches Henry’s face. Finally, Regina’s spine straightens. “Okay. Okay. It’s a plan.”

“Awesome!” Henry hugs her, and Regina has that same surprised look she gets every time Henry shows her any affection of late. It’s almost too painful for Emma, so she turns away and takes a breath.

When he pulls back, he looks at Emma. “I have to test the walkies. Can I have your keys? I’ll get the one out of your back seat, if I can find it under all those coffee cups on the floor.”

“Ha ha, kid,” Emma replies. “The car is parked right on the street--”

“I know, it's impossible to miss,” Henry says sarcastically. “Be right back.”

When Henry disappears out the door, slamming it far too loudly for Emma’s comfort, Regina shifts uncomfortably in her heels. She doesn’t say a word.

“So.” Emma tries, unable to come up with anything else to say.

“So,” Regina replies. “I did it. I broke it off. And I didn’t cry.”

Emma blinks, wondering if Regina is looking for validation on her dumping technique. “Yeah. It sucked.”

At that, Regina’s whole body seems to relax, like a string holding her up has just been snipped. She exhales with relief. “I’m glad that’s over.”

“Uh, I don’t really want to break up though,” Emma says, her tone a little uncertain. “Is that okay?”

Regina doesn’t reply; again Emma gets the sense that she wants to say something but physically can’t. “Let’s just get through today, all right?” Regina says.

“All right.” Emma moves in for a hug. “How about kissing. Is that okay?”

Regina considers it, and leans forward.

They kiss then, and all the warmth Emma yearned for earlier comes rushing back. Hands trace up her back slowly, wrapping in her damp hair. It’s a long, deep kiss that makes Emma wet, despite the fact that she expects Henry to burst back into the apartment any minute. “God,” she whispers. “I’ve missed this.”

Regina kisses her again, pushing her against the island so they can get some leverage. Regina’s thigh lands between Emma’s legs, and they’re rocking against one another before Emma can even decide if it’s a good idea or a terrible one. Regina moans while her hand snakes down to grab Emma’s ass, and it’s all Emma can do to stay standing. When Emma hears the unmistakable sound of feet on the landing, they break apart, both wiping their mouths with shaking hands.

“This is the worst break up ever,” Emma mumbles.

“But I did it,” Regina says, almost as if to remind herself. “I did everything I could to convince you.”

“Yeah,” Emma says, staring in wonder at Regina, who is paying no attention at all to Emma. But Henry’s reappearance distracts both of them. He slams the door and comes barreling inside, walkie in hand.

“Got it,” he says. “I’ll test them now. Mom, can you send a text when you leave so we know when the coast is clear?”

Regina nods.

“We’ll text you back when we have the box. And be careful, okay?” he says, hugging Regina once. “You’d better go. You don’t want Cora to be suspicious.”

Regina lets out a funny nervous laugh that Emma’s never heard before. She watches Henry grab his backpack, leaping up the stairs two at a time. “Well,” Regina sighs, “I’ll suppose I’ll be in touch.”

“’Kay.”

Emma walks Regina to the door, and the tension between them is awkward. But before she can get her hand on the doorknob, Regina’s in her arms again, and this kiss is even better than earlier. It’s over fast because Regina pulls away, but she keeps her hands on Emma’s face, holding her tenderly. “It’s really over,” Regina whispers.

“Yeah, I got it,” Emma responds, and kisses her again.

\---

As Cora gets in the car, Regina glances down at the phone in her left hand and presses “Send.”

She drives well under the speed limit on the way to the cemetery. She parks farther away than usual and watches Cora get out of the Mercedes and stride forward. Regina has to hurry to keep up, glancing at her watch. It’s been all of ten minutes, but at least Henry and Emma should be at the house by now.

Emma. The thought of her thrills and terrifies Regina at the same time. The look on Emma’s face when Regina ended their relationship made her realize how much she cares, and how much Emma cares too. Emma looked… devastated. Her expression was not that of a woman who has been using another just for sex.

Leave it to Henry to correctly deduce almost every event that’s happened thus far, from Cora delivering the news of Regina and Emma’s relationship to Gold, to the fact that he is the one who forced Regina to end their affair. The sensation of having someone, much less two someones, on her team remains atypical, but she could get used to it. Oh yes, she could learn to enjoy the feeling very much indeed. With Henry and Emma working alongside her, Regina has a sense of confidence even in the face of her mother.

“How far is the crypt?”

“Very close,” Regina replies, gripping the white lilies she’s brought to place at his empty grave.

Once they are inside, Cora stares at the coffin. “Well, are you going to take me down?”

Regina has no choice but to do as she asks. She moves the coffin to reveal the staircase, and carefully they descend into the vault.

Cora closes her eyes as she turns around in the small space. She inhales deeply. “There’s barely any magic here. Why?”

Regina glances at her vault, all its compartments without hearts since Graham died. Before Emma arrived in town she had no trouble controlling the citizens of Storybrooke. Graham’s heart was taken long ago, so it came with her, but here she had no need to go around ripping out the real thing. As Mayor, she wielded enough power without resorting to magic. “I wasn’t able to bring much with me, Mother. It’s part of the curse—to live in a land without magic.”

“Well that is certainly a shame,” Cora says. “You must feel quite… powerless without it.” She looks pleased at the thought of Regina’s weakness.

“I’ve learned to manage,” Regina says, thinking about Emma and Henry, wondering how they are, what they’re doing. If they’ll find what she’s been missing all these years.

Cora continues to inspect the narrow space. “Your father would have liked it in your little town,” she says. “If you hadn’t killed him, of course.”

Regina holds her breath; this is a conversation she doesn’t want to have. “Don’t speak of my father,” Regina tells her. “You never loved him. I don’t know why you ever married him.”

“Your father was a means to an end, for both of us. Don’t pretend he didn’t serve your purposes when you needed him.” Cora glares at her. “You pretend to be so different from me, dear, when you’re exactly the same. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as they say.”

Regina bites her tongue to keep from lashing out. That will get her nowhere. All she needs to do is stay calm for a little while longer, and Emma and Henry will find her heart. Won’t they?

Of course once they do, she’ll have to explain what it is. And that the curse is real. What then? Will Emma even want to help her? Will Henry run away, never to return? If they go back to a land of magic, Regina will be in grave danger. And if Emma and Henry abandon her, she will be more alone than she has ever been in her life. But perhaps that’s all right. In that case, it would be a mercy to find death.

Regina stares into the alcoves of her refuge, placing a hand in her pocket. In it, she finds Daniel’s ring, still filled with magic and love. She holds it tightly, swaying with the memory of his arms around her, his lips on hers. Everything he made her feel is so close to the surface now, because Emma makes her feel almost the same way. It isn’t exactly the same; it’s not new or unsullied, because she’s lived years and years trapped in darkness and regret. But it is just as astonishing, because when one finds true love once, one never expects to find it again.

As she kissed Emma today, both in the morning and after their “break up,” it became very clear: she loves Emma. Her arms make her feel as safe, and needed, and beloved as Daniel’s did. She presses the ring into her palm, wanting to brand herself with its imprint. She barely survived Daniel’s death. She’s not sure she could survive Emma’s. Not after all this.

“This is shameful, Regina,” Cora says. Her voice is filled with disappointment.

“What is, Mother?”

“A vault empty of hearts. A town without magic. And to think, you did it all to punish a woman who not only still lives and breathes, but seems to have found her charming prince yet again, if Gold tells me right.” Cora shakes her head when Regina turns toward her. “This curse is a failure. As you are a failure. You were a queen, and now you’re nothing. I don’t know why I expected more.” She sighs. “Take me back. I’m ready to go.”

“Are you certain--”

“I said take me back, child. I will return home as soon as I have my things. There’s nothing more for me here.”

Regina does not experience the customary stab of agony at the rejection. She is a grown woman; she knows who her mother is. The void in Cora’s soul is absolute, as it has been for as long as Regina can remember.  Regina wonders who put it there, and why. She will probably never know.

“All right.” She climbs the stairs of the crypt, taking her time. Once the coffin is back in place, Regina touches Henry’s name, with its inscription, “Beloved Father.” As she does every week, she places the flowers atop it, because his loss is a deep, endless regret. He never saved her, but he loved her, and that was enough.

Cora moves quickly through the grass, and Regina checks her phone. There’s been no text message, and Regina resigns herself to the idea that she will never again have a beating heart inside her chest.

\---

As soon as Emma gets the text “GO” from Regina, she and Henry race down to the car. Emma leaves a black skidmark on the pavement as she pulls out of the parking spot, figuring that no one’s going to give her a ticket, and she doesn’t plan on writing one for herself.

They don’t talk much on the short journey over, until Henry says, “I think I know what we’re looking for.”

Emma glances at him. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” He looks out the window, and for a moment she sees his desolate reflection in the window. “It’s her heart.”

Emma smiles to hide her discomfort. All the memories of Graham and the confusing conversations they had before he died come flooding back. “Henry--”

“The Evil Queen in my fairytale book steals hearts. I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I think her mother steals hearts too, and she took my mom’s. I don’t know when, but it was a long time ago. Before she adopted me, even. Before the curse.” Henry twists his hands together, fidgeting in his seat. “I know you don’t believe, Emma, but you might have to.”

Puzzled, she asks, “Why?”

“You just might, that’s all.” Henry says no more.

Emma’s stomach is in knots. What’s strange is that she really is starting to believe, and she has no idea why. Maybe crazy is contagious.

When they arrive at the house, Henry gives the instructions. “I’ll be downstairs, watching for them to come back. You go upstairs and search. And remember what I said, okay?” He hands her his empty backpack, as well as the walkie.

Emma takes it and fastens it to her belt as she bolts up the steps. In the spare room, the first things Emma sees are the bent iron leaves from when she and Regina had sex here just a few short days ago. It feels like a lifetime. She can recall the texture of Regina’s skin under her mouth with perfect precision, and the memory gives her strength.

She starts with the carpetbag first, and finds a few silk shirts and linen trousers. There’s literally nothing else in the bag. She searches another small suitcase in the corner, but again, she finds only shoes, underclothes, and the typical toiletries any woman travels with. Next she searches under the bed, beneath the mattress, inside every dresser drawer. She tears through the closet, finding nothing but Christmas decorations, plastic jack-o-lanterns and holiday tablecloths.

“Fuck!” she shouts, her attention drawn once more to the carpetbag.

That’s where it is. That’s got to be where it is.

There’s a beep, and through the walkie she hears Henry’s voice. “You didn’t find it?”

Emma shakes her head, frustrated. “It’s not here.”

“It’s there, Emma. You have to believe, I told you!”

“Then you come up here and find the damn thing!” she shouts, kicking the carpetbag in anger. It slides a few feet and when it hits the wall, there’s a metallic clunk that comes from inside it. She tilts her head. Silk shirts and linen trousers don’t make that kind of sound.

In that moment, she believes.

Her legs turn to water, so much so that she actually drops to her knees. “Oh my god.” She scrambles toward the bag, afraid to touch it. “Henry, hold on,” she says into the walkie.

With shaking hands, she grabs the bag’s handles and gently parts them. There, on top of the small pile of silk and linen she went through only minutes before, is a burnished gold chest. It’s small, like a jewelry box, and on its lid, an elegant “R” is carved into the metal. “Oh, shit,” she breathes. “Oh.” As she traces her fingertips along the “R” with one hand, she grips the walkie and says, “Henry, I found it.”

His response is immediate. “Thank goodness! You’ve got to run, Emma. Mr. Gold’s car just pulled up—he’s coming here! Someone must have seen us! I’ll distract him. You go get Mom and save her!”

Emma is so stunned she grabs the chest and shoves it in Henry’s backpack. She streaks across the second floor and races into Regina’s bedroom, out the window and down the lattice. It’s a good thing she’s been doing it in the dark all these months, because she make the trip in a minute flat. She takes the time to kick in the door to Regina’s garage, looks for a weapon, and finds one in a shovel that’s hanging just inside the entrance. When she reaches to the front door at a sprint, she discovers Gold dragging Henry out of the house. He’s telling Henry, “You’ll be perfectly good collateral--” when Emma clocks him in the head with the shovel, putting him down with a single stroke.

“Ugh,” he groans, “You bitch. You’re gonna pay for that, dearie.” His voice is utterly changed; he sounds like a child.

“Maybe later,” Emma says, looking over her shoulder and hoping no one saw her assault someone on the Mayor’s front porch. She drags Gold through the front door, ignoring the hands that claw at her wrists. She rips the ever-present handcuffs from the back of her belt, thankful as hell she never leaves home without them. “I’d apologize but I’m not sorry since you were about to kidnap my kid,” she tells him, grabbing his arm.

“The steps!” Henry says, “Cuff him to the steps!”

Emma does just that: one cuff around his wrists, one around one of the thicker oak rods of the banister. It won’t hold long, but she doesn’t much time now.

“You’ll never get what you want, little Emma Swan,” Gold trills, laughing despite the huge gash on his forehead. “You’ll never find what you need.”

She takes an extra second to look into his eyes. “I already found it,” she says with a grin.

His smile falters for a moment, then fades entirely.

“Gotta go,” she says, grabbing Henry’s hand. “Come on kid, we have to find your mom and save the day.”

“All right!”

When they’re belted in the car, Emma throws her phone at him. “Text your mom. Tell her to meet us at Mary Margaret’s.” Emma screeches down the block, imagining what might be in that little gold chest. Her heart is thumping wildly at the thought of it. She hasn’t seen the contents of the chest, but she can’t help but imagine… “I didn’t see the box at first, Henry,” she says, glancing at him as he types on her phone. “I didn’t see anything. I think you were right.”

He’s panting as if he’s just run a mile. When he makes a final click, he turns to her. “You had to believe.”

“I did,” Emma tells him. She’s still stunned—nothing so strange has ever happened to her in her life. “The first time I looked in the bag it wasn’t there. And the second time, it was. Can you imagine that?”

“Yeah!” he crows, “I can! I told you!”

Emma laughs, a little hysterically. “You sure did, kid. You told me.”

“Was it her heart?” he asks, holding the backpack with something like reverence.

“I don’t know. I didn’t look inside.”

His hands are very careful as he opens the zipper and looks in the bag. “I don’t want to hurt it. Let’s wait till we get to Mary Margaret’s, okay?”

“Yeah.” Emma makes a turn, and they’re quiet for a minute. “Did Mr. Gold hurt you, Henry?”

“Nah. I kicked him a couple of times before you got there. Somehow he had a key to the front door.”

“Were you scared?”

“Not really. I knew no matter what, I’d be okay. I have you. And I--” His voice is a little shaky. “I guess I have my mom, too. You guys wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.”

Emma swallows back a suddenly prickle of tears. She puts a hand on his head. “That’s right. We wouldn’t.” They drive another two blocks and pull into the exact spot Emma left less than half an hour ago. “Did your mom reply?”

“No. I hope she’s okay.”

“Me too.”

\---  



	7. This Great Distance

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

Part VII

Regina turns onto her street, suddenly struck by the quiet. There’s a single car parked outside her home: Gold is here. Again. This confirmation that their plan has failed is so overwhelming that she can barely see to park the car. But she does it, and gets out without a word. She prays Emma has already gotten Henry away to safety and hurries toward the front door. Inside, she’s stunned by what she finds: Gold lying handcuffed and bleeding on the floor of her foyer.

He bares his teeth and reaches for her, but before he can say a single word, she slams the door in his face—she can’t let him speak in her presence, not until the curse is broken. Cora watches her race back toward the car. “What?” she demands.

Regina ignores her. She leaps into the car, locks the passenger door and tears back down the street. She hears a beep from her pocket and grabs the phone, slowing down just enough to peek at the screen.

OPERATION EAGLE PACKAGE IS SECURE. MEET AT MMS.

Regina emits a high-pitched cry, gripping the phone and getting her eyes back on the road. It wouldn’t do her any good to be killed in a car accident on the way to retrieve her long-lost heart. Can it really be true? She speeds up, checking the rearview mirror. If she knows her mother and Rumpel, they’ll be right behind her as soon as he’s free. 

And they won’t be happy.

Regina holds the steering wheel so hard her knuckles are white. She is going at least fifty down the street as people stop and stare at the Mayor’s speeding car, but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t worry about parking inside the lines either as she pulls up next to the Bug.

She bursts into the apartment at full speed, turning to find Emma and Henry waiting for her on the couch. Between them on the coffee table is the chest. It looks familiar though she’s never seen it before; of course it resembles those that Regina once kept in her own vault of hearts.

All of a sudden Regina is unable to speak, unable to move. She knows she has to, but the enormity of what’s happening overcomes her. Everything is about to change. Emma will know, and Henry too, and her heart…

“Mom,” Henry says, standing and coming toward her. “Come on.” He takes her hand, and she allows herself to be led to the sofa. Boneless, she slumps down next to Emma, and Henry sits next to her. He picks up the chest, and places it on Regina’s lap. “Here you go.”

“How did you--”

“It was like magic,” Emma says. “It wasn’t there, and then it was. You know anything about that?”

Regina swallows, and nods. “Yes. I know all about magic.”

“Mom, open it,” Henry urges.

Regina holds a hand above the box, and as she’d hoped, as she’d wished, it opens on its own. Inside is a heart, pumping madly, bright ruby red and glowing with magic. She can hear Emma and Henry breathing, their heads hovering next to hers as they watch it, awestruck.

“It’s your heart,” Emma says. It’s not a question.

“Yes,” Regina replies, and already her voice is broken, because it’s so close now, and she’s so frightened of it—what it means, what it will do to her, what it holds for the future.

“You really are the Evil Queen,” Emma says, her voice a little empty and dull. “You cast the curse.”

Regina just stares into the chest, amazed. “I did.”

“You’re not just the Evil Queen,” Henry says, getting up on his knees, still looking at Regina’s heart. “You’re my mom, too. And Emma, she loves you.”

The only thing that could have drawn Regina’s eyes away from her own heart is that exact statement, and Regina finds Henry’s eyes. They are filled with hope, and Emma’s hand finds hers. She turns to Emma then, and her face is so filled with compassion that it’s too good to be true.

“I guess I do,” Emma agrees.

With a deep breath, Regina nods toward the heart. “Will you help me then?” She licks her dry lips. “I don’t think I can do it myself.”

Emma looks down, and her face is so disgusted it’s almost comical. “Me?” she squeaks.

“Well--” Regina begins.

“I’ll do it,” Henry says with conviction. “I can do it. Just tell me how. Will it hurt you? Will it hurt me? Will my hand get stuck?”

All the questions buzz in Regina’s mind. “I, I don’t think it will hurt, and your hand won’t be stuck. The magic will make it easy. You just put your hand here,” Regina motions to the center of her chest, “and push. Although I’ve never, uh, put one back where it belongs. I’m not certain what will happen.”

“Should I just pick it up?” Henry asks.

“Sure,” Regina says, wanting to shrink back when his small hand reaches down and picks up her delicate heart. She needs courage, and Emma’s hand grips hers more tightly. They look at each other once more, and Emma’s smile is all she needs. “I can do it,” Regina tells her, mostly for her own benefit.

“I know you can,” Emma says in reply, leaning their foreheads together for a moment. “I know.”

Finally, Regina turns her body toward Henry, whose eyes are wide. “There’s no greater gift you could ever give me, Henry, than what you’re doing right now.”

With that, Henry holds the heart against her chest, and pushes.

It disappears inside, and a second later his hand reemerges unscathed. Regina breathes deeply, waiting for something. She puts a hand to her breast, vibrating with tension, expecting to feel different. To feel something more than she has for all these years.

Nothing happens.

“Is that it?” Henry asks.

“I guess so,” she replies.

Emma sputters out a laugh. “Well, that was a little anti-climactic. I was expecting something…weirder.”

Regina gazes at her, gutted. All this time she has been waiting, wondering, trying to remember what it was like to feel—

When the wave finally crashes over her, and when she can finally manage to gasp for air, she throws her head back and screams.

\---

Emma is so startled by the shriek that leaves Regina’s throat she jumps six inches off the couch. Henry stumbles backward and falls to the floor on his butt.

“Oh shit,” Emma says, the hand in Regina’s feeling like it’s about to be crushed. When Regina inhales, she screams again, this time louder, but with so much misery it sounds like a wolf baying for its lost pack.

“Regina!” Emma shouts, “Are you--”

“Take it out, take it out!” she says, clutching her chest, “oh god, take it out.” She is sobbing, her breath coming in huge, shivering gasps. She screams again, falling to her knees. “Oh, god, please, help me,” she wails.

Emma looks to Henry, who is as lost as she is. He gets up off the floor and presses his hands against Regina’s shirt, exactly where he pushed the heart in, but his hand goes nowhere. “I can’t,” Henry says. “Nothing’s happening.”

Emma needs to figure out if the pain is physical, or if it’s something else. In a flash she realizes what might be going on. “Regina, talk to us. Tell us--”

“Daddy,” Regina whimpers, grimacing in anguish, hand pressed tightly to her breast. “Oh Daddy, I’m so sorry,” and Emma knows right away. Whatever deeds Regina’s committed are over the years, the memories of them are slamming into her. Emma’s afraid to know the details, and now is probably not the best time to dig into her many atrocities. But before she can stop her, Regina says, more quietly this time, “Graham.”

Henry goes rigid, and Emma realizes that everything he once said about Regina being responsible for Graham’s death is actually true. Her heart sinks, and she wonders what exactly she’s going to do about the fact that she’s in love with a killer.

Somehow, Henry comes around first, standing and placing his hands on his mother’s shoulders. She can tell from his face that he gets it too. “It’s not all bad, Mom, is it?” he says, patting her in a calming gesture that touches Emma deeply. “What about me? What about when you brought me home after I was born?”

Emma thinks about the days and hours that came before Henry’s adoption, of experiencing the pain of his birth, followed by the agony of watching him taken away. But now, the change in Regina’s face is worth the ache, because she is transformed. Despair melts into nothing, and Regina seems to shake herself into the present. Time stops as her mouth falls open, until she lifts her hands to hold his face, so gently, so sweetly. “Oh my boy, my beautiful baby,” she croons, and her tears are streams as they fall down her cheeks. “Oh Henry, my boy, I love you so, so much.”

Emma’s superpowers are on high alert, and she feels the words like a physical blow. She’s always known, in her heart, that Regina loves Henry, but this time, she feels it all the way through her body. It is an emotion so pure and perfect that Emma can’t help herself when her own tears come. She touches Henry’s back, and she can feel him shaking. His arms wrap around his mother’s neck. It really is magic. For whatever darkness that exists in Regina, there is light too, and Emma holds on to it. She has to.

When Regina remembers Emma’s presence, their eyes meet. In that instant, everything is different.

It’s as if Emma’s never seen Regina before. Over the last months she’s learned Regina’s every expression. Today, she is reborn. For the first time, Emma sees effortless love, and she is humbled by it.

Regina looks from Henry to Emma and back again. “I’m not—I’m not good, Henry. I don’t deserve your love,” she says. “I’m responsible for so many terrible things--”

“We’re going to forgive you,” Henry says, cutting her off. “It might not be right away, but we will. We have to.” He glances at Emma with a firm nod. “Both of us.”

“How?” Regina asks. “Why?”

Henry doesn’t have an answer for her, so Emma replies. “Because if you’re a character from a fairytale, then I want to be part of your story.” As she’s saying the words, Emma realizes it’s the truth from the depths of her soul. “I want to be there, all the way until the end. I don’t even care if it’s a happy ending,” she laughs, “I just want to be there. With you.”

It’s the right thing to say. Regina is stunned, but hopeful, and Emma can tell Henry approves.

“Me too, Mom. I want to be in your story too. Till the end.”

Regina touches Henry’s cheek, stroking it. Her eyes fall shut in relief. “Thank you,” she whispers. When she turns to Emma, her mouth shapes into a smile so filled with gratitude that it steals Emma’s breath.

“Wow,” Emma sighs. She touches Regina’s lips, and decides Henry’s old enough to see his moms share a little kiss. It won’t kill him. She leans forward, her mouth already tingling in anticipation, but the door to the apartment flies open so hard it almost comes off its hinges.

It’s Cora.

\---

Regina sees the door fly open, and wants to scream, wants to shout. She needs more time to recover from this enormous wave of emotion flooding through her. Everything is brighter, stronger, faster; even light is more intense, just as the darkness more terrifying. If Regina felt love when she held Henry, and looked into Emma’s eyes, she feels utter horror when her mother bursts into the apartment.

But as fast as it comes, the fear dissipates. Because in that moment, Regina knows she has everything she needs to survive this day and every day that comes after. Even Rumpel can’t defeat her, and as expected, he comes lumbering in after Cora, his smarmy grin already in place.

“Your majesty,” he begins, and Regina flicks a wrist in his direction. Power flows down her arm and out, arcing toward him and doing exactly as she requires.

She exhales in triumph when whatever words he was about to deliver catch in his throat and die. “Just like riding a bicycle,” she says, and it is marvelous. There is an astonishing joy flooding her body—the magic is like coming home. Even the little spring of fear still bubbling inside her is starting to feel good. Because it’s more than nothing. Regina truly had forgotten, but it’s coming back.

Emma is up and in front of her in an instant to protect her, but Regina just laughs. “It’s all right, Emma. Mr. Gold has somewhere else he needs to be.” With another flick, this time she pushes him right back out where he came from, and slams the door.

“What’s going on?” Henry cries behind her.

Cora is stunned. “Yes, that’s what I’d like to know.”

Regina takes another deep breath, the power flowing through her now like a raging river. “Magic, mother. And I have you to thank for it.”

Cora’s eyes have fastened on the chest, lying open and empty on the coffee table. “No,” she hisses.

“Oh yes,” Regina says, pressing a hand to her chest. “There’s magic in my heart.”

“You can’t, you can’t do this--” Cora rushes forward, but in seconds, Regina throws her hand out, fingers splayed. She captures Cora with no effort at all, lifting her mother into the air. Cora cries out, and Regina smiles.

“You gave me this gift by bringing my heart to this world. Whatever were you thinking?”

Cora gasps, feet hanging limp as she hovers above the kitchen.

“Were you watching my heart all this time? Checking to make sure I wasn’t happy? Were you listening to everything it whispered in the night?”

“Regina,” Cora spits, “I forbid you--”

“Oh, no, mother, you have no control over me now,” Regina sings, her tone syrupy-sweet. “Are you frightened? How does it feel to be powerless in the face of magic, hmm?”

There’s no response as Cora struggles.

Regina chuckles. The sound is familiar; she has become the Evil Queen once more. “How does it feel to know I could hold you here all day, all night, for weeks, forever? How does it feel to know I could keep you here, starving and thirsty, pissing yourself and desperate to be free?” Regina feels hysterical sobs coming up out of her throat. She closes her fingers and revels in the wheeze of agony Cora releases. She wants her to feel pain, to suffer the same humiliation and rage Regina still feels every day. Her voice rises in pitch—she is shouting but she doesn’t care. “Don’t you think if you could just learn to be _good_ , then I would let you go?”

“Regina!” Cora gasps. “Please!”

Regina roars, squeezing the bands of magic around Cora tighter. “Don’t you want to be a good girl, mother? Because I am a good girl! I am good, and I always was!”

“Regina,” someone says behind her, and it takes a moment for her to recognize Emma’s voice. “Regina, don’t. She’s not worth it.”

“Yes, she is,” Regina insists, her whole body shaking with fury. “She deserves it. She deserves far, far worse.”

“I know,” Emma says, touching her shoulder, gripping it gently. “But you deserve better.”

Regina swallows when she feels Henry press against her side. “Mom,” he says. “Mom.”

Regina wants desperately to hold on to this anger. It is and always has been the source of her power. If she doesn’t end this now, Cora will only return to haunt her again as she has so many times. But the sensation of Henry’s head tucked against her ribcage relieves some of the anguish to which she clings.

Cora is pale and straining against her bonds, but she is still defiant. “You’re too weak to kill me, Regina. You’re weaker now than you’ve ever been. Power is the only thing--”

Her mother goes on, but the words immediately transport Regina back to the last moments of Daniel’s life. She remembers his sweet smile, his loving eyes, his soft mouth that spoke her name with kindness a thousand times. But she pushes those thoughts away and calls up another memory instead, focusing all her energy on it. She pictures her Mayoral office, and the round box sitting in the corner. She wants what is in that box. The incantation is short, and she doesn’t even have to say the words aloud to bring the hat here, to Snow White’s kitchen, where Snow’s own daughter and grandson stand in solidarity beside her.

The rage is draining away now, finally, as quickly as it stirred itself up. “You’re going home, Mother,” Regina states firmly, “to Wonderland. Is that clear?”

The hat is centered on the floor, and with a flick of her wrist, it starts to spin. She sends as much power as she can into the hat, watching the smoke rise and spread as the tornado of energy swirls all around them.

“You can’t do this--” Cora says, finally showing a smidgen of fear.

“I can and I will. What a shame Jefferson isn’t here to guide you, but I trust you will be able to find your way through the looking glass, Mother,” Regina says. “And I want you to listen very, very closely.” She lowers her mother to eye level, bringing her to hover just above the hat. “If I _ever_ hear tell that you set foot outside Wonderland, into my realm or any other, you will know my wrath, and there will be no mercy.” Regina squeezes her hand, and again watches Cora lose her breath from the pressure she exerts. “Understand?”

She can see how hard Cora is fighting her, but she has no choice. She nods.

“Excellent.” Regina closes her eyes, and breathes in, out, in and out. “Since this is the last time I’ll ever see you, Mother, I’ll say this—I’m sorry I wasn’t what you wanted. I loved you once. Goodbye.”

In Cora’s eyes, there is a hint of regret, but when Regina flicks her fingers, Cora drops into the hat, and is gone forever.

The smoke goes with her, and seconds later, the hat is just a hat once more.

\---

Emma’s feet feel like cement; her eyes are glued to the hat that just became a portal to another world. She knew that Regina could do magic in her other life, but this? Right here in boring old Storybrooke? Fucking amazing.

“You did it, Mom,” Henry says next to her, his eyes on the hat too. “You sent her away.”

Emma finally looks over at Regina, who smiles faintly. Her face is wet with tears, and Emma reaches out to wipe them away.

“I did it,” Regina whispers. “I finally won.”

“That was… pretty incredible,” Emma says. “How--?”

“It was from the heart. My heart.” Regina blinks, touching her chest. “But where we go from here depends on the both of you,” Regina says, turning to Emma, and then to Henry. “If you want to end the curse, I think we can.”

“How?” Emma asks, suddenly uncertain that this is what she wants. That any of this is even real.

“With a kiss, dummy!” Henry cries, tugging her arm. “True love’s kiss can break any curse.”

“And I do love you, Emma,” Regina says. “So it might happen even if you don’t want it to. I might not be able to, um, hold it in.”

Emma is reeling. “So you mean if I kiss you, we might get sucked into a fairytale?”

“Yes!” Henry says, excited. “We’ll go back! I mean, I was never there, but I know every story backwards and forwards. I’ll help you. And you’ll get to have parents! Don’t you want that, Emma?”

Emma remembers what Henry told her about Mary Margaret and David being her parents, and sways on her feet. Regina takes her arm and leads her back to the sofa. Henry babbles on about how Ruby is Red Riding Hood and the wolf at the same time, and Leroy is Grumpy, and that he hasn’t figured out Dr. Whale yet, but Emma doesn’t listen.

She has parents.

Once they remember, they will love her as much as they did the day she was born. They sacrificed her, but she will have achieved her destiny: to break the curse and rescue them all from the Evil Queen.

She looks at Regina, who watches her with heavy eyes. Emma realizes maybe she gets to rescue the Evil Queen too. That seems like a worthwhile destiny. “I won’t let them hurt you,” Emma says with certainty, grabbing Regina’s hand. “I won’t. I’m a princess, right? That counts for something!”

“Right,” Henry says. “And I’m a prince too. I think that’s what I’d be, I’m not sure. I guess I’ll find out when we get there. If we get there.” He turns to Regina with wide eyes. “What will happen when the curse breaks?”

Regina shakes her head. “I don’t know.” She laughs. “I’ve never done it before.”

“At least we’re all in the same boat,” Emma cracks, and Henry grins. “Should we, I don’t know, do anything before we try? Henry, do you want your book?”

He shakes his head. “I won’t need it.”

“Regina?” Emma asks.

“Everything I need is in this room,” she says, and blushes when she realizes what she’s said.

Emma feels the heat rise up her own neck, and wants very badly to kiss her. “I don’t know if you’re really that Evil,” Emma says with a smirk.

“Stop it,” Regina says, still a little red in the face. “What do you need? A few more of your jackets? Because they don’t make pleather where I’m from. Thank the heavens.”

“I think I’ll adjust,” Emma assures her. And she will. If she has Henry, and Regina, and her parents, and a home, that will be more than she ever expected out of life.

“So,” Regina says, looking down at the couch shyly. “A kiss.”

Henry grabs Emma’s hand, and Regina’s too. “Let’s hold hands, in case something big happens. We need to stay together.” Regina does more than that. She wraps an arm around Henry and wriggles closer to Emma.

“Don’t let go, okay?” Regina says, meeting Emma’s eyes. Regina blinks, her mouth softening as they gaze at one another.

“I won’t let go,” Emma tells her, sliding an arm around Regina’s waist. “Maybe nothing will happen.”

Regina nods. After one last look down at Henry, Emma leans forward and presses her lips to the Evil Queen’s.

She doesn’t even get a chance to enjoy it. There’s a crack of energy, and everything goes black.

\---  



	8. This Great Distance

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes: Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary: Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

Part VIII

When Regina comes to, she is in the WinterPalace.

She is alone.

She can barely lift her head, but the memory of Emma and Henry in her arms is enough to make her cry out in loss. “No!”

A different, unexpected voice greets her. Sidney. He gazes down at her from the mirror, unsmiling. “So the curse has broken, My Queen,” he drawls. “I’d say I was sorry, but being trapped in a mirror doesn’t strike me as better than my former circumstances.”

“Sidney,” she breathes. She pushes off the hard stone floor and tries to get up, but the corset gripping her ribcage makes it difficult. Her gown tangles around her ankles; it’s been decades, and she can barely remember how to walk in these shoes. Somehow she makes it to her feet, tottering on the platform boots. The leather of her pants clings to her thighs, and reminds her of Emma.

Emma. And Henry. They’re missing. She rushes at the mirror, and Sidney rears back. “Show me Emma and Henry.”

Sidney’s eyebrow lifts, and a slick smile curves his mouth. “Still after them?” he chuckles. “What about Snow--”

“Show them to me!” she shouts.

His face vanishes into nothing, and then she sees them, still dressed in their Storybrooke clothing. The reflection is distorted, as if she’s watching them through the surface of something other than a mirror. The two of them get up from the floor, and she watches Snow, dressed in white, stumble toward her daughter and grandson. Emma is smiling, in a moment they are crushed together, holding each other tightly. Snow begins to weep openly, and Henry walks up behind them, his face shining with happiness.

As Regina watches, her heart, back in its proper place now, deflates in disappointment. They haven’t even noticed her absence. She presses a hand to the mirror, the rejection stirring in her belly like a hornets’ nest.

James comes into the reflection now, tears rolling down his face as he laughs, filling his arms with Snow and Emma, kissing them both, holding Emma’s face and staring into it as if he can’t believe she’s real. Other members of the Storybrooke community surround them, the memories of their real lives coming back as they hug and cheer, overjoyed to be home.

Still watching Henry as he’s passed around between Snow, and then James, and Grumpy, Regina almost misses it when Emma grabs Snow by the shoulders. Her expression is intense as she glances all around the room. Her smile has faded, her eyes darting this way and that. Then Regina sees what she’s hoping for: her own name on Emma’s lips. She can’t hear the word, but it’s obvious.

Henry runs to Emma’s side, grabbing her arm. “Where’s Mom?” he asks silently.

Regina presses her other hand to the mirror, so relieved she can hardly stand. She thinks Henry tells Emma, “We have to find her.” 

Snow’s forehead creases in anger. “No,” she says, shaking her head, and then she and Emma are arguing. Henry hops next to Emma, interjecting when he can, and soon all four of them are locked in a fierce discussion. That’s all she needs to take action. But she has to do one last thing before she leaves the palace.

With her hands still on the mirror, she turns her energy inward, searching her memory for the words. For a minute they elude her; her magic is at its full power, but the incantations have faded after decades of neglect. Finally, they come to her, and she begins slowly, using her breath to center herself, feeling the power rise up. She’s never tried this before, but soon she senses the shift, and pushes forward.

With all the strength she has she shoves her fingers through the glass’s suddenly liquid surface, and pulls her Genie from the mirror. He flies out head first, leaping over her to crash to the ground. He is in his best Agrabah finery, just as she remembers. He huffs in astonishment, his hands touching the floor as though he is unable to believe what’s happened.

When he looks over at Regina on the floor next to him, he looks uncertain. “You have freed me,” he says in confusion.

“Yes,” Regina says.

He gazes at her, and once more she finds the affection that she has used against him over and over. Even after years of abuse, he cannot help but love her. She won’t accept that love any longer.

She can’t even apologize. She has enough to be sorry for, and she’ll never be able to make up for any of it. Instead, she will move on and accept that what’s done is done.

Will she ever be the good girl her mother wanted?

No.

But she will be herself.

To do that, she needs Emma, and Henry, and that means breaking through the enchantments guarding Snow and James’ castle, right away.

“Goodbye,” she tells the Genie, touching his face once, and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

\---

Emma begs Mary Margaret—Snow--to listen to reason. “You have to believe me--”

“You don’t know her like I do, Emma. I’ve known Regina for almost my entire life, and she has schemed against me every single day since we met. How could I ever believe that she could find redemption? She is the most evil person in this world--”

“Not as evil as Rumpelstiltskin!” Henry shouts. “He’s the one who planned this whole thing! He manipulated my mom into casting the curse, because her mother, Cora--”

“Cora has nothing to do with this,” Mary Margaret insists. “Regina made her own choices, no matter what Cora did. It’s not my fault that Cora killed Daniel, and it never was! I was just a child!”

Emma frowns. This is news to her. She doesn’t even really know who Daniel is; she knows only that Regina loved him, and Cora killed him. “What are you talking about?”

“Who is Daniel?” Henry asks. “We never found out.”

Mary Margaret is taken aback. “She didn’t… she didn’t tell you?”

“I only just found out about the curse when we stole Regina’s heart back from Cora,” Emma tells her.

Mary Margaret—Snow, Emma reminds herself—is stunned. Her already pale face whitens visibly. “Her what?”

“Her heart!” Henry says, jumping up and down on his toes. “She didn’t have a heart! Not since way before the curse!”

Snow says nothing, glancing at David, who is called James in this world for some reason. He doesn’t know what to say either. “I didn’t know,” Snow finally says. “I had no idea.”

“Well she has it back now,” Henry says. “And we are going to protect her. She was evil and did a lot of evil things, but we’re going to help her. Emma saved her. And true love’s kiss broke the curse, so you have to believe that she loves us!”

“True love’s kiss—what?” Snow asks.

Emma is frustrated that no one is on the same page. It’s going to take days to figure this whole thing out, but the most important thing is for her to find Regina as soon as possible. She must be devastated to have returned to this place alone, especially after she and Henry tried so hard not to be separated. “We kissed. Boom, curse broken. Listen, I’d love to stay and chat but I think Henry and I need to get on the road. We’ll be back as soon as we can, but we have to find her--”

There’s a loud clap of thunder, and Emma whirls around. Across the long hallway of the palace, there is a dark fog brewing. It fades for a moment, then grows stronger, coalescing into the shape of a woman dressed all in black. Her hair flows down her shoulders; her pants are skin-tight leather; her bustier reveals far too much flawless skin for comfort. She is the epitome of an Evil Queen.

Emma smiles. “Regina.” Her feet are moving before Mary Margaret can grab her to hold her back, and Regina’s face cracks open with hope as she opens her arms. Emma flies into them, grateful and relieved, loving the “oof” that Regina lets out when their bodies come together. “Thank god you’re here.”

“Took me a few minutes to break in. My spells are a little rusty.” She squeezes Emma so tightly it almost hurts.

“As long as you made it.” Emma pulls back a little, and the Regina she knows is still there under all that crazy eye make-up and hair and leather. “Love the outfit.”

Regina grins. “This is the real me. Or it was, once.”

“I know the real you,” Emma tells her, and even though she’s surrounded by people who are shouting and raging that the Evil Queen has just broken into the palace, she leans forward and kisses her. She closes her eyes and revels in the feeling, humming when Regina’s tongue meets hers briefly. She tilts her head to move closer, flicking her fingers up behind Regina’s ears, and smiles when there is an answering shiver.

It goes on for far too long than proper, especially since their kid is somewhere behind them, probably cringing in mortification. But Emma is exactly where she belongs—home, in every sense of the word. It feels weird, but there is something right about this place, no matter how foreign it might seem at the moment. And being in Regina’s arms is where she wants to be.

“Mom!” Henry says, tugging Regina’s arm away from Emma. “Mom, are you doing that?”

Regina is a little disoriented when they part, and wipes her mouth, embarrassed. “Henry, darling. Doing what?”

“That!” He points to the walls of the castle hall. Where before there was only dull gray, there are flowers exploding out of every stone crevice. All around them, vines and blossoms line the walls—roses, orchids, bleeding hearts, wisteria, and a dozen other flowers Emma can’t identify.

Regina puts a hand to her chest, and her cheeks color. Emma opens her mouth, trying not to smile. “Wow.”

“I--” Regina says, glancing around. “I suppose I’m not used to,” she clears her throat, “controlling my magic this way. It’s been many years.”

Henry nods. “You mean it’s different because you got your heart back?”

Regina hesitates, but nods. “Yes.”

“Could you grow flowers for me?” Henry asks.

Regina inhales, leaning down and tenderly holding his face in her hands. “Henry, I could grow fields of flowers with the love I have for you.” Her voice breaks, and tears spring to Emma’s eyes.

Henry puts a hand over hers. “I love you too, Mom.”

Regina’s smile fades, and from the look on her face, Emma wonders when Henry last said those words to her. Months? A year, or more? Her mouth twists as tears roll down her cheeks. She sobs once, pulling her son into her arms.

Emma puts a hand on Regina’s shaking back. “It’s all right,” she says softly, and in wonder she watches the flowers grow into a jungle, falling like water down the castle walls.

Snow comes up behind Regina, staring curiously as grass grows beneath her feet. “Emma?” James is at his wife’s shoulder, hand on the sword at his side. He looks suspicious, but at least he didn’t come out swinging.

Emma smiles. “I promise. We’ll tell you everything. In a minute.”

\--  
  
[  
](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/56707.html)

  



	9. This Great Distance

Title: This Great Distance

Author: [](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/profile)[**chilly_flame**](http://chilly-flame.livejournal.com/)

Pairing: Emma Swan/Regina Mills

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to ABC/Disney’s Once Upon a Time.

Notes : Thanks so much to  [ ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/profile) [ **damelola** ](http://damelola.livejournal.com/) for serving as beta, offering suggestions and edits as well as kind encouragement. Thanks also to the amazing authors who are writing for this pairing—they offer great inspiration.

Summary:  Regina and Emma are stumbling in a semi-relationship when a visitor comes to town.

  


Part IX.

Much later,  Regina can’t wait to get these ridiculous boots off. The hall seems very long as she follows behind Snow White, who still puts her teeth on edge, and Emma, who looks exhausted. 

“ Regina , here is your room. Temporarily, at least until we finish drawing up the truce. Then we’ll see,” Snow says.

Regina rolls her eyes, and Emma crosses her arms in front of her. “Are you kidding?”

“I’m your mother,” Snow begins, but Emma cuts her off.

“You’re my friend. I mean, I get that you’re my mom, but I can’t believe this.  Regina and I have already had plenty of sex, so putting her in a different room isn’t going to preserve my virginity.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle with her,”  Regina smirks, grabbing Emma’s ass. “I only bite when--”

“Hey!” Emma jabs her in the side. “Not helping!”

“This is not happening,” Snow says, covering her eyes.  Regina realizes that this is going to be almost as fun as tormenting her with poisoned apples and prison cells. Nailing Snow White’s daughter will be an constant torment, and  Regina has every intention of rubbing it in for as long as possible.

Forever, if Emma allows it.

“Just, whatever. That’s your room, Emma,” Snow points to the door across the hall. “Henry is right next door so keep it down, all right?”

“We’ll try,”  Regina says, leaning in to lick Emma’s ear.

“Jeez, cut it out,” Emma says, but she’s laughing. “You’re awful.”

“Well I have to live up to my moniker somehow.” Especially now that Snow and James have forced her to sign a treaty, vowing to bring their realms together to battle anyone who challenges either of them. She doesn’t like it, but for Emma and Henry, she will. She’s so tired of fighting, and the happiness settling inside her is something she’d like to hang on to. Even if she has to give up her dream of destroying Snow White, she can come up with another dream. She’s nothing if not creative.

“Good night, Emma,” Snow says, eyeballing  Regina until she steps back. She watches Emma hug her mother, laughing at something she whispers in her ear. 

“I won’t,” Emma tells her. She looks into Snow’s face, her eyes filled with amazement. “I still can’t believe it. I really do have your chin.” They laugh before Snow pulls back. “Night,” Emma says, holding her mother’s hand until Snow starts down the hallway.

Snow turns back to purse her lips at  Regina before gliding down the hall and into darkness. 

“You really are awful,” Emma whispers, sliding her hand to  Regina ’s hip and along her thigh. 

Strangely, the need to tease drains out of  Regina as quickly as it came. Her heart throbs with love, and she pictures what it must look like inside her chest, racing and red as a jewel. When she opens her eyes, Emma is staring at her with concern, but  Regina just shakes her head. “Come inside.”

Emma pushes the enormous door open. A bed dominates the room, which is lit with torches and decorated with a few beautiful tapestries of gold and silver. “I am really going to miss electricity,” Emma sighs. “Think you can magic up some indoor plumbing?”

“I’ll work on it,”  Regina tells her, taking her hand. They walk to the bed and sit.  Regina had every intention of making love to Emma for hours, but she is suddenly so tired she can barely lift her arms. Her plan is foiled, and instead of performing the strip tease she had in mind, she flicks her wrist. The leather and gown and boots disappear in a cloud of smoke, replaced with familiar pajamas. It’s odd to call up clothing from Storybrooke, but she has the magic to do it, so why not? It feels comfortable, more so than the leather she was wearing.

Emma still hasn’t gotten over her abilities. “Give me fair warning next time, okay?” She chuckles next to  Regina on the bed. “That is too cool.”

“It’s nice to have my powers back. I’ve missed them quite a bit.”

“And can you do everything you want?” Emma asks.

“Not everything,”  Regina says, sadly. “I can’t bring the dead back to life.” It’s the only thing she wishes she could do now, since she can do almost anything else.

Emma leans against her. “But you can do a lot. You can grow flowers. That’s pretty good.”

Regina snorts, eyeing her. “Yes. I’ve always had a green thumb.”

“That was really beautiful,  Regina ,” Emma says, nudging her again. “Seriously.”

Regina just keeps her eyes on her own hands. She feels vulnerable—talking about her emotional state has never been and will never be comfortable. The fact that an entire castle full of people happened to witness her inability to control her magic grates on her nerves. Her feelings are private, and she wishes they could have stayed that way.

“I love you,  Regina ,” Emma says into her ear. “Come to bed.” 

Emma pulls off her shirt, leaving her in the white tank she’s been wearing all day long. “I stink but I really don’t care.” She yanks down her tight jeans before realizing she has to unlace her tall boots. “Oh, shit.”

Regina points an index finger with intent, and in a moment the jeans are folded in the corner on a chair, boots next to them on the floor.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Emma says, climbing on the bed. Her ass shimmys in front of  Regina ’s face, and  Regina grabs hold of the elastic waistband of her brightly colored underwear. 

“Wonder Woman?” she reads off the back, printed across her butt.

“Well, I didn’t expect to be transported to another world this morning when I got dressed.” She flops onto the comfortable bed. “I love this underwear. You’d better help me preserve it. And damn. I just realized I’ll never get to read another Wonder Woman comic again.” She looks intensely disappointed. 

She and Henry are going to be two peas in a pod in this world. “We’ll find plenty of other things to keep you and Henry entertained, dear,”  Regina assures her. She’s already been thinking about this and is sure she’ll be able to find a way to solve the problem. 

Regina pulls the covers down and sidles up to Emma, inhaling her warmth. She does smell a little sweaty, but  Regina doesn’t really mind. “I want to make love to you as soon as possible,” she breathes. “I just need a nap.”

“Me too,” Emma tells her, kissing her lips once, then again. “I could use some recovery time.”

“Okay,”  Regina says, already half asleep.

When she opens her eyes again, the room is dark, torches burning low in the corners. She has no idea how long she’s been out, but Emma is still pressed up against her side, one hand resting on  Regina ’s belly. Fingers are caressing her, dipping beneath the fabric of her pajamas, tracing soft lines. When Emma’s touch lightens, tracing her hip,  Regina exhales with a moan. 

“I was wondering how long it would take for you to wake up,” Emma breathes in her ear. “You promised me sex, and then I had this dream and you were in it, so you’d better deliver.”

“I always deliver,”  Regina slurs, ready at once. She’s groggy, but the thought of Emma’s skin is too much for her to resist. Their mouths meet in a messy kiss, but Emma’s tongue finds its way to  Regina ’s neck as she pulls each of their shirts up and over their heads. When  Regina ’s arms are free her hands slip beneath Emma’s briefs, and she’s careful not to tear them in her haste. She pushes them down, and once Emma kicks them off, she rolls on top of  Regina and straddles her. 

“ Regina ,” she sighs, leaning over her.  Regina holds her breasts tenderly, flicking at her nipples until they harden beneath her hands. She pinches until Emma starts to sway, undulating against her hips and leaving a damp trail along her belly. “Why did you let me tie you up?”

The question shocks  Regina out of her haze. She looks up, able to see Emma’s face in the dim light. “Pardon?”

“I heard everything you said to your mother earlier,  Regina . I know what she did to you.” Emma hovers above her, leaving tiny kisses along her cheek. “I don’t mean to break the mood. I just… I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

As  Regina breathes her lungs expand, lifting Emma slightly. “It’s fine.” She holds Emma’s hips, wanting to feel their weight against her body. “I told you I wanted to forget. And you made me, Emma.” She arches her back, offering herself with abandon. “You’re the only one who’s ever been able to make me forget.” 

Earlier that night, Emma had learned everything there was to know about Daniel when Snow, James, Henry, Ruby, Granny and more sat around a table, explaining the whole story. “Daniel was my first love, and you are my last. I know that now.”  Regina parts her legs, pressing her knees against Emma’s back. “Everything you did to me the other day, I asked for, and I’d do it again. I _will_ do it again, and more, make no mistake. But not tonight. Tonight I just want your hands and your mouth and you. The rest, we’ll save. Okay?”

“Okay,” Emma whispers, placing her hands beside  Regina ’s head, dipping down to taste her breasts with a light touch.  Regina groans, tilting up in a silent plea. Emma takes the suggestion and takes a breast into her mouth, sucking strongly until  Regina is writhing in pleasure.  Regina grabs Emma’s head, urging her to the other breast, which Emma eagerly accepts. It feels like hours that  Regina waits until Emma slides down her body. She is panting as she tears at  Regina ’s pajama pants and underwear, moaning when she finally finds her way between her legs. When pushes her tongue inside,  Regina silently begs for more, digging her fingers into Emma’s thick hair. 

“Oh please,”  Regina asks, “Please.” Emma does not make her wait tonight, will not make her suffer, sliding two, then three fingers deep inside her as she kisses her clitoris with unerring accuracy. “Yes, yes, yes,” she cries softly, “God, Emma, I love you.” She blames her openness on her fresh heart, and chooses to ignore her embarrassment in favor of embracing what it feels like to make love as a whole person. And it is sweet indeed, to come apart in Emma’s arms, crying out in ecstacy while her heart pounds furiously inside her chest, where it belongs.

Emma crawls up her body, clumsy with arousal, and falls on her with a kiss. She is fragrant with  Regina ’s wetness as well as her own, but  Regina rolls them both over. Her fingers find their way inside Emma and push, curling as they find a rhythm. But it’s not enough—she inches down until her mouth is between Emma’s legs. She kisses and flicks with intent until she simply works her tongue in time with her fingers, and Emma is coming above her, pulsing as she arches in pleasure. It’s so good for  Regina that she decides to offer up a gift—the first of its kind, but not the last. And so as Emma comes down,  Regina gathers her focus and presses her fingers against Emma’s belly, sending out tendrils of magic and heat. Emma yelps in surprise. “What are you doing to me?” she cries, but throws her hips in the air as  Regina keeps her fingers in place. Her mouth thirsts for more, so she licks Emma’s center while the magic works inside her, bringing her to climax a second and third time in quick succession.

Emma is sweating and limp when it’s over, and  Regina does what Emma often does when they are finished—she takes a hand and gets herself off while gazing into Emma’s astonished face. She groans with her climax, her hand soaked, but she has no shame when she falls against Emma. Arms come around her shoulders while legs wrap around her thighs. They are as close now as they have ever been.

A minute, perhaps two pass before Emma starts to laugh. “You used magic on me,” Emma croaks. Her throat is scratchy from screaming; it’s a good thing she muffled her cries with a pillow since  Regina didn’t put a spell on their room tonight. 

“Hope you don’t mind,”  Regina mumbles from her very comfortable position.

“Can’t say that I did,” she replies. “Puts a whole new meaning behind Magic Fingers,” she jokes. “It was incredible. I’m sorry I can’t do the same thing to you.”

“There’s a lot you’ll be able to do for me, if you’re open,”  Regina counters. “I know spells that will please us both in equal measure.”

“Seriously?” Emma asks. 

Regina smiles. “Oh, yes. Just wait.” 

“Damn. I am really looking forward to that,” Emma says.  Regina hears her purring beneath her, and the contentment spreads through her body. “But I have a favor to ask. Don’t get mad, okay?” 

Regina glances up, alert. “What is it?”

“Do you think it’s a bad idea if we check on Henry? What if he’s upset, or gets scared? He’s never been outside Storybrooke, unless you count when he picked me up in  Boston .”

Regina nods in acquiescence. “Of course! We should, well--” Instead of asking,  Regina flicks her arm in a circle and dresses them both, herself in her pajamas, and Emma in a matching set. She gives them a little freshening up at the same time, so they don’t visit their son reeking of sex. “Is that all right?”

Emma glances down at herself in wonder. “Um, yeah. Wow. It’s great.” When she peeks up at  Regina , she says, “You don’t waste any time, do you.”

Regina shrugs. “We’ll just check on him for a minute. Then we can come back here and go to sleep.” She pauses. “Or something.”

Emma cracks up. “ _Or something_ is right.”

\---

As they make their way to the door of their new room, Emma is startled by the tangle of honeysuckle growing from ceiling to floor along the far wall. Instead of bringing it to  Regina ’s attention, she steers her toward the exit, hoping she won’t notice. When they reach Henry’s door, she knocks almost silently, then cracks it open to sneak a look inside. She turns to  Regina . “He’s awake. Come on.”

Emma laughs when she sees Henry’s sheets tented in the air. Somehow he’s created a little fort for himself under the covers, and there’s a glow of light coming from inside. “Are those candles under there?”  Regina asks.

“Who knows,” Emma answers. “Henry!” she stage whispers, and Henry peeks out from beneath his sheet. 

“Hi!” he says, smiling. “You’re awake too!”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Emma says, giving  Regina a sly glance over her shoulder.

“Are you all right, dear?”  Regina asks.

“I’m writing everything down,” Henry answers, flinging the sheet away. On his bed, there are two candles, and fortunately he’s managed not to set the bed on fire. Spread out on the enormous bed are pages of writings and drawings. “I’m keeping a record of everything that’s happened so far. It’s my own version of my Book. I didn’t want to forget anything.”

Emma picks up one of the pages so she can see it properly. At the top is an image of Emma and  Regina hugging as Mary Margaret and David (labeled Snow and James in this instance) stand behind them, armed and waiting to attack. Emma nods when she realizes that Henry is drawing panels like a comic, including their escape from Rumpelstiltskin (who is now imprisoned in a magical jail), their confrontation with Cora, and their arrival here, followed by the enormous group meeting in what Henry has called _the conference room._ “This is amazing, Henry,” Emma says, reading the page featuring Cora’s disappearance into the hat. “It’s a comic book!”

“Yeah!” Henry exclaims. “I want to make a book of everything that happens here.” He glances at  Regina , suddenly hesitant. “Is that okay, Mom?”

Regina ’s face softens into a smile. “Of course, Henry. I’d like to read them as you write them, if that’s all right.” She takes a few moments to read one of the panels Henry has drawn. “Only because you are such a talented storyteller. Would you mind?” 

“No, it’s cool,” Henry says, adding detail to one of his images. 

They sit with him, reading and commenting on the previous day’s events.  Regina makes a suggestion or two, and Emma recollects a few of her own lines of dialogue, which Henry dutifully fixes. When he finishes the last panel,  Regina is sitting behind him, her arm around his shoulder. She meets Emma’s eyes, and the feeling of belonging is so strong it’s overwhelming. She smiles, and  Regina reaches out a hand. Their fingers tangle together, and Emma spies Henry’s shy grin.

“Are you tired, kid?” she asks. “I don’t think you’ve slept a wink.”

“I guess.” He looks up at  Regina . “Would it be okay—um, forget it.”

“What?”  Regina asks.

He lifts his shoulders once. “I guess… do you guys want to stay here tonight?”

Regina ’s shoulders rise as she inhales, and Emma hides her own pleasure at the request. “Sure, kid,” she answers before  Regina even has a chance to pretend to contest the idea.  Regina will be as happy to stay here as Emma is, and she knows it. 

“That would be lovely, dear,”  Regina croons. She helps him gather all his pages while Emma sets the two candles at either side of the bed. As they have for the past few nights, Emma and  Regina each settle next to him, and his face is a picture of innocence and contentment as Emma blows out her candle. 

When the room is dark, Emma realizes there is light coming in from the open window. The faint pattern of stars somehow seems familiar, and Emma gazes outside before settling on Henry and  Regina . “I love you both,” she says. After more than 28 years of loving no one, this feels like an embarrassment of riches. 

Henry says, “Me too,” his arm at her waist.

“Love you,”  Regina says, her voice deep and sweet. One hand reaches beneath their pillows to slide beneath her neck.

There’s a brief flash of light at the window, bright like a falling star. Emma closes her eyes and makes a wish, knowing that when she wakes, it will have come true.  
  
the end. 

  
  



End file.
